Dancing in Style---a Polynesian trip report, June 24-30, 2012

[Lou... 3,118]

I think the more important question is. Why were you still up Lou?

Worked until 1:00.

Doesn't the old age home have an early bed time for grouchy old men?

Yes they do, but they confiscate 3/4 of my pay and let me stay up late.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Love the update, Sommer. I have always wanted to stay at the Poly.

For future reference there is a Culver's in Saginaw, 10 minutes from me. Drive over and I'll meet you there anytime!!

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

Ah, Fiends and Culver's....I envision more road trips in my future! Kelly, GO to the Polynesian! I would do it again in a heartbeat if the rate were about a quarter of what I paid (and I could bring my dogs, lol!)

So, picking up where I left off.......

Tuesday, June 26 brought more rain off and on. TS Debby was stalled. We headed over to breakfast at Captain Cook’s….tonga toast….a first for us! Yum for DH and DD (I’m not a fan of bananas.) I, however, fell in love with the chocolate chip muffins and had one every day of our stay. With the off-and-on rain, what better thing to do than hit the water park? We’d never done a water park before, so hey, it’s another first!! Off we drove to Blizzard Beach.

Advice I’d read ahead of time…..wear water shoes and take hotel towels with you. Check and check! Advice I wish I’d read….a large locker is still pretty small, so don’t take a bunch of crap with you! It all worked out, with a lot of pushing and shoving. Dd and DH are adventurous water parkers…I am not. I really don’t like water all that much, thankyouverymuch. The lazy river at BB was a ton of fun. It has a thing that sneezes on you, fun winter theming, and not a terrible amount of water pouring on your head. Except for the rain…..I kid you not, every time we got in the lazy river to go to another part of the park, it started raining!

Dh and dd did some of the slides and had a fantastic time. I hung out on a tube in the wave pool and had a good time, too. The wave pool had a pretty strong current, which I found out fairly quickly. I only had one knee scrape to show for it, thankfully. After waiting not-so-patiently for dh and dd to finish their rides, we all stopped for a bite. Dd and I ate our first ever pretzel covered hot dogs…..yummy! Dh had one of those pulled pork/slaw dogs….brave! I have no photos, because my camera was wedged into the locker behind the backpack and shoes and extra towels and clothes…..and because it kept pouring on us!

After lunch, we did the family raft ride…..so much fun at BB! DD did some of the stuff in the kiddie area, and they gave her a photopass afterward. I was going to print those pix for our album, but at nearly $15 for two 4x6s (of the same shot), I’ll just etch those babies into my memory instead. Dh and dd did one more big slide, and then it was time to head back and get ready for dance rehearsal. Except that dh had lost the locker key that was in his pocket on that last big slide. Big sigh. So he went back to look for it, and it turned out the lifeguard had found it, and he told dh that it happens all the time. Which is why the key has a bungee that you’re supposed to put around your wrist, doofus!!!! I said that with love….really. I didn’t mention that I had worn it around my wrist all morning and never lost it (ok, I actually did mention that.) By that time, it was really time to head back to the room and get ready for rehearsal.

When we returned to our room, we learned that Pluto had had a pretty rough morning (loved our Mousekeepers on this trip!)

We took a few more photos around the resort…

Love these guys!

A daylight view of our room from the outside

DH is such the comedian.

Yep, that's where we stayed. I can't pronounce it either.

In all of that greenery, we only found one of these flowers still in bloom! Lucky!

The travel company provided bus transportation from the Poly over to ASMu where the rest of the dancers were staying. However, parents weren’t allowed to ride over on the bus, and I didn’t feel comfortable sending my 13-year-old daughter alone, so we got back into the car and drove over ourselves. She met her group and I snapped a couple of photos.

And then the girls and their director headed off to Fantasia Gardens to rehearse under the pavilions there. The rain had stopped, and it was gorgeous. Dh and I (another first coming here!) went to dinner at Shula’s at the Dolphin. I have learned to love steak again, since finding a local farmer who has grass-fed organic beef. To die for! My fave is the porterhouse, and I like to get two and eat both filets, leaving the rest for DH! The steak at Shula’s was……………………just as good as the stuff I get from my guy! Seriously, it’s awesome steak, really and truly good steak, but it was no better than what I get at home, because what I get at home is really and truly good and awesome. Good to know, huh! We definitely enjoyed the experience of Shula’s. We shared a steak, roasted corn, and baked potato, loved the bread that came with, and couldn’t even finish the dessert, we were so full. And that’s saying something when this chocoholic couldn’t finish her molten chocolate lava cake!

My only photo at the Dolphin.

After dinner, we drove over to Fantasia Gardens to pick up the munchkin (I use that term loosely, since she’s taller than I am now), so we could save some time by not having her ride the bus. We went back to the Poly to change clothes (because we did the classy thing and didn’t wear shorts and flip flops to Shula’s) and then hopped the monorail to MK. Then we sat on the monorail, and sat on the monorail, and sat on the monorail some more, waiting for traffic to clear. We saw the staging area for the water parade….a first!! But I didn’t have the camera, so no photo of it. Traffic finally cleared, and hooray, we made it to MK! By now it’s closing in on 9pm, so we have a couple of hours to run around and do things before we head to bed.

The girlie thinks she’s funny, too.

Another first for us……DHs sister and her husband came down from Savannah to see DD dance and experience WDW! Yay!! It was BIL’s first time at WDW, and he was in awe of it all. We met up and all hopped on the Buzz Lightyear ride first, because it was closing for refurbishment after that night and for the rest of our trip. Turns out it really needed it, as we were stuck in it a couple of different times for quite awhile. That’s ok….I stink at that ride, so it gave me more time to up my points! Then we went and rode the Carousel of Progress. I’m calling that a first, because I think it’s been close to 20 years since I last rode it. I remembered nothing of it, and I absolutely loved it….so kitschy and quaint. And so long! After that, we rode the teacups (my fave) and we rode the new Dumbo. No, I don’t have photos…I left the camera at home that night, remember? After Dumbo, we watched some of the fireworks, then hit the Carrousel and then (my real fave) Winnie the Pooh! By then it was time to meander through the Emporium and head home. We had a big day ahead of us.

More to come later today.....

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Sounds like an awesome day. I hope this was the only time you forgot your camera! We love pictures, remember?

[scooterminnie...paula 20]

You are doing a great job.:thumbsup1:

[SCTigerCock 171]

Enjoying the report!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Love the report so far. Do hope you remembered your camera for more awesome photos to show us.

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

Yep, I kept the camera with me the rest of the trip. It's big and heavy, which is why I left it a couple of times...my neck gets tired from lugging it around, and I hate having it swing off my shoulder! I've tried doing Disney with a small point-and-shoot before though, and that's not ideal either.

So, Wednesday, June 27 was parade day! Dd was slated for the 3:00 parade (so we thought.) You would think that would give us gobs of time to do stuff beforehand…maybe hit a park or something. Not so much. She had to be at ASMu by 1:30, which in my world means 1:00. So by the time we had breakfast at CC’s, had a quick dip in the volcano pool and dh lost his room key in the pool somewhere, it was time to get ready for the performance. Yep, he really did lose his room key….from the same pocket he lost the locker key from the day before…in the water….really big sigh. Luckily, the front desk was super speedy about getting him a new one. And he didn’t lose anything else the rest of the trip.

DD says the slide at the Poly is much smoother than the one at the Fort. I wouldn't get on one of those for any amount of money, so you'll have to take her word for it.

Dd got herself ready and posed for one (ok, several) photos at the Poly before we drove over.

We love this guy.

And one more...this is actually my favorite.

I have to give dh big kudos here. When we take the moho to Disney, we don’t have a car, so we don’t drive anywhere. Before this trip, he memorized the maps of the area, and he got us exactly where we needed to be, whenever we needed to be there, no fuss, no muss, no worry. What a huge relief to be able to rely on him and take that worry off my plate (which overfloweth with worries, believe you me.) So we got the girly to ASMu, snapped a quick group photo, and then……………sat in the car a really long time. Because we chose a rather unfortunate parking space, and the 8 or so buses lined up to take the girls to MK were right behind our car. Craptastic. On my plate of worries was the one labeled “you’re going to get stuck in traffic/on the monorail and miss your daughter’s once-in-a-lifetime performance at WDW”…..visions of squirrels on the monorail track had danced in my head for weeks.

We had to wait for all of the buses to leave before we could get out. DH drove like a madman to get us back to the Poly….I hereby apologize to everyone who was on the road with us right then. We were sucky and obnoxious. I did manage to snap this shot of the bus dd was on, before we went screaming past it. As it turned out, our maniac driving was absolutely necessary. We were closer than we knew to realizing my nightmare of missing the performance…..and some parents of dancers actually did.

I know....the back of a bus....how interesting.

We parked at the Poly, far, far in the back reaches of the lot unfortunately, then ran to the monorail station. One pulled in just minutes later. We got on. The ride was flawless. There were no squirrels on the track. We saw the staging area for the water parade again. Sadly, I didn’t photograph it this time either…too worried about getting to MK!

We made it to MK, got quickly through bag check and the turnstiles and figured, hey, we have time before the 3:00 parade, so let’s stop at Main Street Bakery for a cinnamon roll. OMG!! So good, but someone failed to mention the thing is the size of a loaf of bread!! DH and I managed (quite easily, actually) to get it down, and then we headed off to Country Bear Jamboree, where our group of tie-dyed parents was planning to watch the parade. We arrived there at about 2:15ish, surprised to see only 3 other tie-dyed people there, where there should have been at least 30. We added to that number by 1, because dh refused to wear pastel tie-dye…go figure. And hey, at least we got a spot on the rope! We called SIL and BIL who were on their way in, and told them where to meet us. And then……at 2:35…..the most amazing thing happened. The announcer announced the girls, and the parade began. At 2:35pm!

The girls were not in the 3:00 parade, they were in a 2:35 pre-parade!! We did not know this!! How did we not know this, you ask? I have no freaking idea! For 9 months we’d been talking about the parade, and the studio owner was adamant that she had requested the 10am parade (which in reality would have been a 9:35 pre-parade, but I digress.) A couple of months before we were set to leave, we learned we were in the 3:00 parade…..and that’s how it was referred to…we all thought and talked about the 3:00 parade. In fact, when we learned about the later parade time, I had to revise my dining reservations, and the travel agency dude emailed with the earliest possible time that I could make a dinner reservation and actually keep it, and the timing meshed perfectly with the 3pm parade. But the answer to the question “what time is the 3:00 parade,” when referring to a dance group, is apparently……2:35.

We had made it, we were on the rope, we were annoying the CMs by encroaching on it a bit, all was good. In the midst of 200ish identically dress girls, we found DD (she was on the end, luckily), and I shot photos. And they were crap. And I realized that as I was shooting them…..I had the camera on the wrong setting, and I didn’t have time to change it. First I cried a bit, then I did what every good dance mom does…..I ran. I ran the entire length of the parade route (which is actually a whole lot easier than you might imagine) shooting photos whenever I spotted dd. DH was shocked and amazed. He said things like, “Boy, you can run really fast” and “When that CM got in your face and told you to move, you just stood there and kept shooting.” Yep, I did. The parents of the dancers were awesome. Once their kids had gone by, they moved away from the rope so others could move in and get their shots….this happened the entire length of the parade route. Thank goodness the weather was sunny but only mid 80s and not humid. I am in no shape to be running the MK parade route, that’s a fact. In the end, all was well for our family. We saw the parade (from 4 different places), SIL and BIL didn’t make it to any of the places we were, but they did see DD at another point and tried to follow her to the backstage area (where they got a stiff arm and a “sorry ma’am, you can’t go back there” from a CM.) We did it! The pressure was off. It was time to relax and enjoy.

This is the one photo that was salvageable from the beginning of the parade, when the girls were fresh and energetic.

A little bit later.

Near the end....sooooooooooo hot!

Can I hear a hallelujah?! They made it!

We headed over to the Tiki Room, where we were to pick up the girlie. DH and the fam went to get Dole Whips for us to enjoy while we waited. I got orange, which is even better than pineapple….and another first! It took them for-e-ver to get through the Whip line and back to me, and during this wait I started to hear more about something bad that happened. Some of the parents had missed the parade. Yes, there was the issue of our not really knowing what time it started, but there was more…….it was <insert scary music> <insert maniacal laugh>……the buses.

After the girls left ASMu, where most of the families were staying, roughly 300ish parents and siblings headed to the bus stop at ASMu to get over to MK. Somebody, and there is great argument as to who, depending on who you ask, but SOMEBODY failed to let the Disney bus people know there would be 300ish people needing to get from ASMu to MK pronto. The buses kept to their normal schedule, and some parents didn’t get to MK in time. The parents who did get there on the ASMu buses in what seemed like enough time, got held up at MK bag check, and some of them made it in to see their kids in the parade and some didn’t. SOMEBODY dropped the ball big-time. People who saved for 9 months to do this trip, paid rack rate for their rooms and full price for their park tickets, logged countless hours sitting in the dance studio every week while their kids learned the parade routine and their stage choreography, some of them missed out on seeing their kid dance down Main Street. Really. Un. Cool. I was thanking my lucky stars that I’ve been to WDW enough times to know how things work and how things can go wrong.

Anyway, after dd finally emerged from the secret hidey-place, we snagged her and hit some rides…..Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise lady had a slightly different spiel. I liked the old one. Here are photos.

DD, SIL, BIL. DH the pirate

Then we headed to Crystal Palace for dinner. I made the reservation long before I knew SIL and BIL would be coming to WDW. When dh called a month before the trip and tried to add them to our reservation, he was told it wasn’t possible…all booked up. When we walked up to check in, surprise!! , they had no problem accommodating 5 of us instead of 3. Here’s what I noticed park-wise on this trip compared to our usual trips in late November/early December. In June, the food is better, there are more fruits and veggies to be had, and the bathrooms are cleaner. Character interaction, however, is hurried and rather unsatisfying……definitely better in late November! Despite that, we got some good photos and had a lot of fun. I heart Crystal Palace, and I thought the food was much better there this time than it has been the past couple of times.

BIL thought he would make it through this trip without having to interact with the characters. Not on my watch, buddy!

Leaving the CP, we saw bunnies in the grassy area outside it. I had never seen bunnies at WDW, so here’s a photo of one. Another first!

And of another one.

They were so cute (and had really tiny ears!) There were ducks and a cormorant, too, but they were not firsts, so no photos there. The guys noticed a big sticky trap very nearby, but that did not get photographed, either.

After CP, we were exhausted. We left MK and took the boat back to the Poly. Our boat captain was a young woman who was very stern and serious. The guy behind us suggested we might toss her overboard and take the ship...we were all too scared. She had a lovely British accent, and when someone asked her where she was from, she said, "Oregon." Go figure. Anyway, I snapped a few photos on the boat ride.

On arrival back at our room, it seems, once again, that Pluto had had a rough morning.

We had planned to go to DHS and see Fantasmic, which we had never done before. But we were really exhausted. But the luau was going on, and there was thumping outside our room, so there was to be no peace there. And this was the trip of firsts, so we rallied and set off for DHS! The bus ride there was uneventful….hooray! It created some good will for what was to be known as the bus ride from heck on the way home. We hadn’t been to DHS in a long time

We got there kind of lateish, wandered around a bit, scoped out the location where we’d be dropping DD off the next morning for her stage performance, and headed for the early showing of Fantasmic. Another first! We sat down front on the far left side. As we were sitting there waiting for the show, I recalled reading that you should sit up at the top near the right side for easy exit. Yeah, that hurt. The show was technically super well-done. I didn’t really care for it though, and neither did dh or dd. Now, after all these years of wondering, we know, and we can put a big ol’ checkmark next to Fantasmic. Here are some photos from the show.

The bus ride back to the Poly was really and truly terrible. I can’t even put it into words. The only upside was that it took so freaking long that the luau crowd was loooooong gone by the time we got back to the hotel, and there was peace in Poly-land. And a really cool thing happened when we got off the bus and near the hotel entrance. People were agitated…pointing and speaking rapidly (in French.) I planned to ignore it and walk on, but DH stopped and looked, and then we had this conversation.

DH: Oh, look, it’s a chinchilla-thing.

Me: Huh? Where?

DH: Under the bench. It’s a chinchilla or something.

Me (skeptical): There’s a chinchilla under the bench? At the Poly?

Me (finally looking): Dude, that’s a rat.

DH: No way!

Me: Either that or an incredibly huge mouse. It’s a rat. Why do you think they have those sticky traps at Magic Kingdom?

OMG there was a rat under the bench! How cool is that?! See, if the bus had been any quicker, we’d have missed seeing the rat in front of the Poly. And it was a cute bugger, too. And it was another first, because I have never in my life seen a rat outside a science lab or a pet store. My day was complete. I slept more soundly that night than I had in a very long time.

That should be enough photos to satisfy you nuts for awhile, so no more until tomorrow!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I am so happy that you didn't miss DD's performance! She is just beautiful!! I feel terrible for the families who didn't make it in time.

Looks like you had a great day at the MK. So many firsts for you this trip. I have to say though I could have lived without the rat!!!

I don't think I would have gotten a wink of sleep knowing it was that close! Honestly it would need to be in the next State! :bugeyes: :rofl2:

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Awesome pics!!! I know what you mean about the camera strap. But I've found a solution!!!

This is THE most awesome camera strap for lugging a DSLR around a theme park, and it's especially designed for women!!!

(Check on Amazon.com to actually buy one though, they have better prices!!)

http://www.blackrapid.com/product/camera-strap/rs-w1/

[Millermouseketeers MaryAnn 150]

Great pictures! Thanks for Posting them! Yes I am so glad you made the parade. Your DD is so pretty & looks like a great dancer!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Some of the parents had missed the parade. Yes, there was the issue of our not really knowing what time it started, but there was more…….it was <insert scary music> <insert maniacal laugh>……the buses.

You're lucky that Lou doesn't read trip reports! :rofl2:

I agree with you on CP...love that restaurant.

And the rat? not cool!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

So glad you got to see your daughter dance. She is beautiful.

I would have freaked out over the rat.

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Glad you didn't miss the parade and that you knew to allow plenty of time for transportation. I bet that rat was scared to death!

[CKCK 45]

Who do you think you are posting a bunch of great pictures from WDW that make us all mad that we aren't there right now?

The nerve...

[alexwyattmommy 181]

How terrible for the parents who did not get to see their children dance down Main Street. To invest all that time and money and not get the reward. I would be devastated. And then thinking they still had time because they were told 3pm, not 2:35pm. That is when I would start fuming.

I am so glad you were able to see them. I hope other parents there got lots of photos too so the parents who missed it would still have a photo of their child.

[stefa70 205]

Great job on the report!

I have felt like Pluto looked after a few too many cocktails.

You're daughter looks SO happy dancing! (And I love the ruby slippers)

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

Thanks, you guys! I happen to think DD is beautiful and a fabulous dancer, but she sees herself in a typical teen way, so I'm passing on all of your compliments. She doesn't smile on demand the way some girls do, so that is actual joy on her face, lol!

I actually loved the rat....I love anything with fur. Had it been a snake or a bat, I would have had a different story to tell!

Dave, I knew I'd be safe mentioning the bus debacle, because Lou came here and told me he doesn't read TRs, lol!

Carol, TY, TY, TY for the strap info! That looks like exactly what I need. I was concerned about the single attachment point, but when I watched the video, it seemed really secure. I always wear my bag cross-body, so the camera will feel totally natural like that.

Stef, those shoes are the travel agency's signature item. Next year they'll dance to a different song (this year's was Ease on Down the Road), but the shoes will always be the same. They are pretty, but I make them live in the garage, because the glue that holds the glitter on is still off-gassing!

I'm taking a break from fence staining this afternoon (because fence staining is obviously what you do on the day of your 22nd wedding anniversary....we totally know how to celebrate, lol!) Here's a bit more of our story.....

Thursday, June 28 found us moving a bit more slowly than we had the past few days. Ok, a whole lot more slowly. The FL heat was returning in a big way. DD’s stage performance at DHS was at 12:46, but we had to be there freakishly early, so we ate breakfast at CC’s, got her semi-dolled up (hair and light makeup) and headed over. As we were walking to the bus stop, we were swarmed by a tour group heading to said bus stop. They were nice and polite (as were the many, many tour groups we encountered at the Poly), but there were an awful lot of them. I said a little prayer that they weren’t headed for DHS, and it came true. Go, me. On the bus, we took a photo of DD under the Bunheads sign, because it just seemed so shockingly appropriate. The bus ride, btw, was awesome……as in, it went directly to DHS and didn’t stop anywhere else…..hooray!!

At DHS, we stopped for a photo. I love shooting with a Nikon D300, because the photopass people use a similar model and know exactly how to work mine. The photopass photographers at DHS were wonderful…they happily shot a couple with my camera and then a couple with theirs.

After we got in, we snagged fast passes for Toy Story Mania (a first!) and then moseyed over to the Muppet 3-D movie. Then we dropped dd at her super-secret location and headed over to the theater to watch the other dancers. We got there super early and watched *a lot* of other dancers. That’s what we do in June, is sit through recital after recital after recital, so it was fitting. The groups were so much fun to watch……the joy on their faces made it all worth it. Each group performed their own choreography for the stage performance, and DD’s group did a bang-up job. They danced to Sing, Sing, Sing, and it was a super energetic tap number, and the crowd went wild. I got a lot of photos (understatement of the year.) Here are a few.

SIL and BIL had watched with us, and after we retrieved DD, we all headed over to Starring Rolls…..another first! I’ve had Starring Rolls on my ‘to eat at’ list forever. But we rarely go to DHS and hadn’t for the past few years, so here was my chance. We got ham sandwiches and a Butterfinger cupcake. S/BIL got a chocolate peanut butter cupcake, and we all shared. They were yummo. I have no photos of the before. I was melting in the FL heat. Here’s one of BIL, DD and me after.

We were all super hot and tired, so we did the logical thing…..went on the Great Movie Ride. Scary, but oh so nicely air conditioned. (Not really scary, but I don’t like the whole shoot-out thing.) Then we went on the Backlot Tour, which we always do. Fun. And I got a photo of the ear tower and the plane, which I always do. These are sooooo not firsts.

Finally it was time for our FP return to Toy Story Mania!!! As we were in line, I spotted, a few groups ahead of us, a man in a Fort Fiends t-shirt! And then I did nothing. Because I’m new here and didn’t want to yell out and have him turn around and look funny at the sweaty weird lady who was yelling at him. I’m shy that way sometimes. Next time I promise to yell hello, no matter how disgusting I look or feel….something for y’all to look forward to. Anyway, TSM was ah-mazing!! I’m so glad we rode it (and checked off another first.) I almost wish we’d had a bit more time in the queue, because it was really fun to look at. We all had a blast on the ride and will remember it always. We’ll have to, because it’s not likely we’ll ever get to DHS early enough again to get a decently timed FP, and I wouldn’t wait an hour and a half in the stand-by line for it.

I’ve done a shadow photo every WDW trip since dd was about 5. I usually do it at Epcot, but this year I did it at DHS. For the very first time ever (another first!)------I am the short one. The girlie is officially taller than I am (and I’m 5’6”, so not exactly short.) My, how time flies!

We decided to head back to the Poly and rest up a bit before the dance gala at Epcot later that night. So we hopped on the bus, and a bad thing happened. I, the person who plans everything to the nth degree, who reads and re-reads and three-reads everything, had merely skimmed the gala itinerary. And when I sat there on the bus and actually read it, I realized we had to get ourselves to Epcot. Right then. Luckily, I had brought our special wristbands with us. Unluckily, we were stuck on the bus heading for the Poly when I realized all of this. So we impatiently made our way through the Contemporary stop, to the Poly, ran from the bus to the monorail, and got on within a few minutes. Sadly, we got the decaled monorail (I don’t even know what was on it.) The sad part is that as we zipped past the staging area for the water parade……the third time we zipped past it and the one and only time I thought to photograph it…. I was shooting through the decaled window, and my photo looked like this……..nuts.

We made it to Epcot, found the super-secret hidey pavilion between the UK and France, showed our magic wristbands and entered a world of………chaos. So many people, so much noise. This was a separate ticketed event for dance families. I had read the specs on the gala (if not the itinerary), and it said casual dress. We came directly from the parks, in park clothes. I had seen video of last year’s gala, and people were there in park clothes. This year, people were in semi- and formal dress. I kid you not. I’m fairly certain the 3 of us were the only ones in there in shorts and t-shirts. It’s Epcot, people, be real. Formal dresses. Eye roll. Seeing as how we got there a bit late, as soon as we walked in the door and started to make our way across the room to our designated table, they announced that our section could go eat! Yay! Here’s what a $68 ticket to a gala in Epcot will get you for dinner……bag-type salad, the same pasta you eat at every other huge gathering anywhere on earth, rock-hard breadsticks, dried out chicken breasts and maybe a few other things I can’t remember. Boo. And chocolate cake. It wasn’t spectacular cake, but it was at least chocolate, so that's a win. After the dinner, the studio owners were presented with awards, a photopass photographer who probably wanted to kill himself afterward took 3 chaotic "group photos" with about 200 kids in each group, the Disney characters were on stage, and then the emcee started the “dance party.” The characters weren’t interacting with anybody, and even if they had, you wouldn’t have been able to get near them for the crowd.

DH and I don’t dance. DD loves to dance in the studio, but frankly, she’d been at it since August of last year and was ready for a break. We were bored. We left the gala and went wandering. We ended up in Japan, bought Hello Kitty pajamas for dd, called SIL and BIL, and plopped on a bench and waited for them to come find us. We chilled out together for awhile, took some photos, like these….

Then dh, dd and I headed back to the secret pavilion so we could go with our group to the priority viewing for Illuminations, which was part of our ticket. The priority viewing was good. One year a CM let us into a priority viewing area because DD was wearing a birthday button, and that was a lot like this. I love Illuminations. I was glad we weren’t any closer than we were, because I felt my eyebrows singe with the fiery blasts. We were able to see the globe part more clearly than we ever have before, and that was neat. DH snapped some photos, since I was pretty much too tired to lift the camera.

We met up with S/BIL after, and they came back to the Poly with us. We hopped the monorail to the TTC and then walked back to the Poly from there. A first, walking to the Poly! This trip, we managed to hit all of the Disney transportation options…..the monorail, the bus, the boat, and the walking path!

Walking back to the Poly, the MK fireworks began, so we stopped and watched the rest of the show from the volcano pool area. DH got a few photos there…

Then we all went for Mickey ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches at CC’s. We showed the fam our Poly room, pointed out the hidden Mickeys in the hallway carpet…

SIL and BIL headed back to their hotel off property, and we all said goodbye. We were so fortunate to have them come on this trip. Because this dance studio is not dd’s primary one (she only takes a class or two there each year) and because we stayed at the Poly rather than ASMu, we weren’t really “part of the group,” so to speak. But having SIL/BIL there made us part of a group, and it worked so well. We had our itinerary and they had theirs, and we just met up whenever we could. So much fun!

We spent our last night at the Poly wishing we could stay longer, but that was not to be. It also concerned us a bit that Pluto was so strung out on this trip. We’re looking into a good detox center for him.

More tomorrow (our last day--sob!)

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

And just in case Lou changes his mind and really does read TRs, I want him to know we don't blame the Disney bus people in any way for what happened on parade day.....it was the travel agency's responsibility to make sure everyone could get to the MK, on time......and they blew it!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Lou would never take it personally. Not that we have to worry because he doesn't read Trip Reports.

I am so glad you all had a great time. It was great that family could join you. That makes so much more special.

I wonder which Fiend it was.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Don't back down now. Tell him your true feelings....monorails ROCK! :rofl3:

[MetalDad 33]

I'm digging this TR. Honestly, my favorite part is you racing alongside the parade! That's a detail that you'll talk about 5, 10, 15 years from now. And, I love that you use the word "super", a forgotten word in this world of awesome, amazing.... Thanks for sharing!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Another "super" update! I really enjoyed it. I believe that was TNBob you spotted at TSMM. I know he was there that day.

How you accomplished that day in the heat astounds me. I was back at the MH melting! :rofl2:

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

That day looks exhausting but fun!!!

I hope you like the camera strap!! I was actually at Disney when I discovered it. I was like you lugging mine around on a regular camera strap and hated it!! Then I saw a guy on the Disney bus with his camera comfy over his shoulder and had to strike up a conversation, then when I realized they made one specially designed for women I was SOLD!!!

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Great job on the TR. Looks like a fun trip.