photogal06...Sommer 10 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 I hope it’s ok for a new fiend to post a TR! I apologize in advance to those who are not fans of photos. I take photos. A lot of photos. And though I’m usually nervous about sharing them, because I have an ugly perfectionist streak, I’m trying to let go of that and view photography as an art, not a science. That is really, really hard for me, so this is my therapy. If you hate my photos, don’t tell me. Also, I’ve never done a trip report before, so if you hate my trip report, don’t tell me.I also apologize in advance to those looking for a Fort fix. You will not find one here! Though we normally stay at the Fort in our 30ish-foot geriatric motorhome when we head to Disney, we had a different opportunity this year, and we decided to take it. This is a photo of our ugly old vintage motorhome the last time we were at Disney, October 2011:Now put it out of your mind, because that’s not what this trip was about. Here, from our last trip, are our two canine lunkheads, who had to stay home this trip:I will not show you the photo of dd and me bawling as we said goodbye to them for this trip…we are not pretty when we cry. I do believe the dogs had as good a vacation as we did though, because we have the most fantabulous dog sitter in the world, who comes 4x/day and plays with them for hours. She also brought her dog with her when she came, and it was a big dog party. Frankly, they had it better than they do when we’re at home.Now, on with the trip. Dd dances at two different studios, and one of the owners of one of the studios is as big a Disney freak as we are (who knew?!) She decided to take the girls to dance at Disney World and set it up through a travel agency that does this sort of thing. (Note to self….why didn’t you think of this….these people are getting freaking rich off dance moms like you!!!) Of course we were “in,” the minute we heard about it. Dd has been going to Disney World since she was 2; she’s been dancing since she was 5; combining the two was a dream come true. So after 9 months of eager anticipation, we were one of dozens of groups of dancers from around the world who converged on Magic Kingdom and DHS the last week of June.We were told early on that we had to stay in one of 3 Disney hotels in order to participate. I came to suspect much later on that that wasn’t true. However, at the time we did what we were told, kissed goodbye the idea of staying at the Fort and taking the dogs, and set out to choose a hotel. Our options were All-Star Music (where nearly everyone else was staying…no thanks), Port Orleans Riverside (gave it some thought but the theming isn’t really our style), or the Polynesian (cha-ching!!!) This was going to be a trip of firsts…..our first time at the Poly and our first time making the trip in a car rather than the motorhome….so we truly made it a trip of firsts and decided to do many, many things that we’d never done before.More to come later, if people are interested...... GaDawgFan.....Kelly, Dollface...CindyC and AC in A2......Aaron 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Never apologize for doing a TR. We love all of them. We especially love pictures! Can't wait to read and see more of you adventures!! You're off to a great start! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 As I don't read TRs, you probably don't know that, so I won't know anything about your 2011 trip to WDW in your vintage 30ish foot RV, but I do love dogs and all of your photos have doggies in them.BTW if you have more than one post, you're not really new to FF.Net. mouseketab.....Carol 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Looking forward to reading along! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dollface...CindyC 18 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm in! Can't wait to read more and see more photo! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hang on for a second.You were at the Fort in October, 2011?Are those photos of the Halloween pet parade?I was there.And, I have a trip report to prove it.As a matter of fact, after seeing your photos, I asked the TCD research department to check the pet parade photos, and look what they came up with:Check out Nicholas in this photo. He got tired of watching the dogs, and found something more interesting:It's a stick! How fun! He quickly tried to whack a couple of dogs with it. Just as quickly, my sister jumped in to stop him. What a funsucker she is!:How do you like that!You are famous.And your dogs almost got whacked by my nephew.TCD GaDawgFan.....Kelly 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
michele j 9 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Looking foward to more....More pictures the better :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dollface...CindyC 18 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 small, small world! That's so cool TCD that you were able to find photos of them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Disneyzombie-Brenda 10 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm in! Love photos and as an Xdance Mom...I can relate to going to Disney for dance. My daughters danced at Epcot back in the 80's....so I've been an X for a long time. I need to dig up those pictures. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Trip reports are my favorite thing about this board!! I love them all. Don't ever worry about pictures, some of ours are so blurry you can hardly make out what's in them, but we post them any how. Love the pups, and your daughter is beautiful! She definitely has the long legs for dancing. Bring on the rest!! :jumpforjoy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm in! No worries. All pics/TRs welcome. Pretty sweet that you guys were featured in a TCD trip report previously. Now that you have been properly credited in that presentation, I wonder if the royalty check will be in the mail? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Woo hoo! I cannot wait for your Poly trip report! I hope it includes some pics of sticky wings, or potstickers, or sushi, or tonga toast!!!! What? You mean there's more to the Poly than FOOD?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Can't wait to see more!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brent... Just Brent 83 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm in! Can't wait to hear what you thought of the Poly after staying at the Fort. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Looking forward to reading more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
photogal06...Sommer 10 Posted July 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Yay, thanks for reading!! That makes me so happy! I can't believe we're in TCD's photos....how cool! Now I feel even more a part of the fiend family (I won't hold my breath waiting for that royalty check, though!) I think I adjusted Trixie's antennae 14,000 times during that parade. We were not very happy people at that point---our dog Murphy (the yellow one) is super unstable in crowds like that, and we never should have put him in that situation. Trixie (the black one) did great though....she thought everyone was there just to see her. Brenda, you will probably be able to relate to a lot of what we experienced on this trip....dance moms unite! Dave, I have no food photos. I think there might be one of an empty cupcake wrapper somewhere, but that is all. I never think to photograph food, unless someone's eating it, and those photos are never fit for posting, lol!And now...on with the trip!We left home on Sunday, June 24 at around 10am. Can I just say, wow….what a difference it makes getting 31mpg vs. 7mpg!!! We could drive practically forever before having to stop for gas! And, unlike the fuel gauge in the motorhome, the one in the car actually works, so we knew when we needed gas!! Awesome! Aside from a quick rest area stop, our first break was in Lexington, KY, at the southernmost Culver’s we could find.We love Culver’s, and we don’t have one near us. I assigned DD the task one day (she’s homeschooled) of mapping our route to Disney, finding the most reasonably located Culver’s based on time and distance from home (coordinating with gas stops and dinner hungries) and the most reasonably located Holiday Inn Express (based on time, distance and free breakfast) for our trip down. She came through with flying colors, as you can see.After Culver’s we hoofed it to McDonough, GA to stop for the night. We got in late….like 11:30pm late. There is a heck of a lot more construction on I-75 during the summer compared to our preferred late November trips, let me tell you. The Holiday Inn Express was very nice as hotels go. Breakfast was quite edible as free breakfasts go…except for the pancakes. Never eat pancakes made automatically by a machine. They are a science experiment, not food!The next morning, we resignedly got back in the car to head for WDW. Life would be so much easier if we were only 12 hours away instead of 20+. As we continued south, we were introduced to Debby….Tropical Storm Debby. Our first tropical storm ever…..see, I told you this was a trip of firsts! Sideways rain is really fun. Huge wind gusts are really fun. Torrential downpours….yeah, you get it. Though truth be told, driving through these in a car was a breeze….in the moho, we’d have had some trouble. We ran through Debby to the FL welcome center to get our free OJ, stood in Debby transferring snacks from the trunk to the interior of the car, then forced ourselves back in for the final leg.Ah, the gates of happiness! For some reason, we didn’t come in the way we usually do. Not sure what happened there!Finally, we arrived at the Polynesian! So many months we’d waited! So hard, the rain poured down. We unloaded…and unloaded….and unloaded…..why did we bring so much stuff?!?! DH went and parked the car, while I checked us in. We were assigned to the Aotearoa longhouse. Which is pretty far away when you’re hauling your luggage in the rain (yes, dh was too cheap to let bell services take it for us….sigh.) I have to say (and, yes, the weather was somewhat to blame), I was initially underwhelmed by the Polynesian in general, and our room in particular. Actually, I was flat-out disappointed. It was older and shabbier than I’d expected. The only other Disney hotel we’ve ever stayed in was Bay Lake Tower, and we stayed there when it was brand new. I think I forgot to remember that the Poly is….really old. We had a small freak-out (We’re paying how much to stay here?!?! And we’re right next to the Luau dinner show?!?! How noisy is that going to be?! Why did we get stuck on the ground floor?! Right next to the outside door?! This room looks yucky compared to the freaking Holiday Inn Express!) Then we decided to make the best of it. We went and had some dinner at Captain Cook’s. We decided to hit the volcano pool, since we were wet anyway.And then slowly, very slowly, something began to change. A feeling of calm and happiness began to make its way through all of us. There’s something about the Poly. I don’t know if it’s the greenery, the styling, or just the general sense of happy that comes from a whole bunch of people staying there and having the time of their lives, but it’s like a switch flipped, and suddenly we got it. We got why people go there year after year and pay a small fortune to stay at the Poly. There’s just something about it. Maybe it was the Dole Whip we got later that night (another first!) Maybe it was the fact that the rain let up. Maybe it was watching the water parade from the boat dock, maybe it was watching the MK fireworks from the patio right outside our room, while I played the soundtrack on my iPod for us (and our neighbors) to hear. Maybe it was the fact that there is no luau on Monday nights, so it was incredibly quiet and still and beautiful and peaceful and everything I had hoped it would be. Whatever the reason, I got it, and I would absolutely love to stay at the Poly again.And it turns out, our room was the perfect location for us. Because we were coming and going so often, it was super convenient to be right next to the outside door, and because very few people used that door (I think just us and the people staying across from us), there was no noise or foot traffic there at all. Being on the ground floor, we had a patio….some of the upper floors didn’t even have balconies, and we used that outdoor space a number of times. We also had a perfect view of the MK fireworks from our room and looked out onto the castle and greenery the rest of the time. On the other side of the building, the view was the parking lot….we actually got really lucky with our room. And that finally sank in. The luau didn’t end up being super noisy either…just some thumping from the drums, and it worked out that we weren’t there for more than a few minutes during that time anyway. Here are some of our Poly photos from that night.A towel Mickey head greeted us first thing:And a towel swan!DD did a little decorating while DH and I were sitting on the patio. The wall art had hidden Mickeys, too:Awesome room, if you ever decide to stay at the Poly!The view from our patio:The view of our patio:A late-night visitor on our patio door! Yes, I did give a little scream when I saw it hanging there!More to come tomorrow........ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 For future reference...although middle Tennessee is probably not on your way to Disney, we have a Culvers here in Franklin, TN. I have been there 3 times in the past week! I believe there is also one in Murfreesboro...an hour east of us along I-24. So next time you are driving south and need a butter burger and a concrete, swing by this way and I'll meet you at Culvers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nicki aka Rebelstand 272 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I am late but in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I read the first post but I have to catch up tomorrow. Great job! I'm very interested in this because I have the chance to stay at the Poly next summer for a crazy low rate (like considering gas and a Kenny cart, cheaper than the Fort), and I've been debating.... (or a Fiend could let me park my cart at their site? LOL) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 This is great a TR that promises lots of pics!! It's tomorrow already. Where is the next installment?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 It's tomorrow already. Where is the next installment??Why are you still up Steve? Nicki aka Rebelstand and mouseketab.....Carol 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Great start. Can't wait to read more and see more pics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Why are you still up Steve?I think the more important question is. Why were you still up Lou? Doesn't the old age home have an early bed time for grouchy old men? :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H in SC 85 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Loving this excellent Trip Report!!! More Please :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Awesome update!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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