May 15
Nothing seemed very crowded while I was there. Even when I went over to the Polynesian the next morning the parking lot was half full. I was not asked for ID and was not given a pass at the gate but the security guy was very nice and we talked for a minute or so. I told him he needed to try Kona Café.
I was tempted to eat while I was at the Polynesian but I just wanted to walk the resort and see how things looked. I almost got something at Captain Cook’s and I should have. The resort looked great and the only thing I saw going on the few times I was over at the resort was they had sections of the paths walled off and were redoing the cement.
Looks like some of the exterior things were finally fixed on Tahiti longhouse but I hear that there are still rooms that did not get all the new items. Until someone from the Polynesian can confirm anything different I am going to assume that the rooms are not complete.
Looks like movies are on the beach on Sundays going by the schedule and there are many activities going on around the resort all day including hula lessons at the GCH for anyone who wants to attend. The night I was there some company booked the whole Luau and they had special fireworks on the beach just for them. Not sure what happened up in the Tambu Lounge but half the chairs were missing the night we were there for ‘Ohana.
After walking around the resort and taking some photos I got a call from Sean that they were on their way on the Magical Express. As I pulled into the Boardwalk I was right behind the bus they were on exactly like last year. It was great to see everyone and we had two new guys (Dave and Phil) added to the group. We were also down one man (Bobby) for some unfortunate reasons and we all did miss him on the trip (well other than Ed since he would not have won at golf if Bobby was there but I am getting ahead of myself).
We all got together, had them hold our bags and headed over to the Yacht Club for breakfast at the Captain’s Grille. Food was ok and not too expensive but not Kona Café.
After breakfast a few of us headed to Animal Kingdom to go on some rides. Again it was not crowded and we just about walked on Everest. Got to sit in the first car this time. After that we went to the safari. A little more of a line but not bad. Got to see quite a few animals. Looks like the ride has changed a little and the dialogue during the ride is different.
We headed back after that and decided it was pool time. The room still was not ready or at least our was not. Two of the three one bedroom villas we had were ready. We hung out at the pool for a while and eventually the drinks arrived at the front desk. I guess it was quite a site as they wheeled the cart through the lobby. The women looked disgusted and the guys would just stare with their mouths wide open.
We all got to the rooms and started to unpack our stuff and transfer the bottles of stuff to the different rooms. They were all near each other on the first floor just next to the hot tub at the resort main pool. We found the grass area a good place to practice chipping . We went over to ESPN Club to get our stomachs ready for the traditional meat on a stick from ‘Ohana that night. Just to stretch out the stomach a little.
So our traditional kick off dinner seems to be ‘Ohana. We all walked through Epcot and got on the monorail to head over to the Polynesian. We got off at the TTC and walked instead of transferring to the other monorail that would go to the lobby. The guys followed me since they would have gotten lost in the Polynesian and of coarse I had to take all the joking about knowing the Polynesian so well and being the tiki guide. Good thing I like all these guys. So we all got to the Tambu Lounge and I got the first round of Lapu Lapus. The infamous Back Scratchers were next on the list but this time we all kept our back scratchers to ourselves (refer to last years report).
Amanda from Polynesian concierge came up (no not to see me) to see Sean. It was nice to see her again. She was very helpful with the Tikifest people staying concierge last year and she even attended the party.
After drinking all these tropical delights there is nothing like meat on a stick to soak it all up.
After not too long of a wait we were seated at the big table in the center and it was time to let the eating begin. Things had changed on the menu so I was curious to see the differences. They brought out a bowl of salad with what use to be the dips for the wantons to put over it. Seemed strange but it was good. There were than some pork pot stickers, some chicken wings, mixed vegetables and a replacement for the potatoes was like a chow Mein noodle.
I liked the potatoes better but the noodles were good and were more with the theme.
The shrimp was back on the skewers and was good as ever along with the beef, pork and turkey. No sausage. They still finished up with the ice cream covered bread pudding with Bananas Foster Sauce. We asked for more as soon as it hit the table.
When we were done some in the group headed back to the room and I lost the rest of the group (or they tried to lose me). I ended up walking the resort alone and was going to head back on the monorail until I saw the rest coming from the concierge building with a box of cookies. No comment on how they got them. Thanks for inviting me along!!
We got in a taxi over to Downtown Disney to go to Raglan Road where we hung out for a while before heading back but we had to make one more stop at ESPN Club because I guess it was still not late enough to go to bed.
