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

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

I'm not sure if you have to be staying at a Disney hotel, but you DO NOT have to be staying at the deluxe hotel. I actually made a reservation for Z when we were at the Fort in April just in case my dad couldn't come.

Good to know. Thanks! Might need the info for a client someday.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Good to know. Thanks! Might need the info for a client someday.

 

Feel free to share my pictures with them and let them know I highly recommend it. :)

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Awesome pics. Z is always so adorable! That looks like a squirrel with mange or something. I hear they carry fleas, so maybe it lost hair due to flea bites? That was a mighty sweet thing to do for your Mama!

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

Thanks for the neverland club review. That info may come in handy someday!

It does look like a kid's paradise.

So the CMs he was sandwiched between were just more ladies wrapped around his finger right?

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Feel free to share my pictures with them and let them know I highly recommend it. :)

 

Thanks Kelly!

[Beckers 1,136]

I am glad to hear I'm not the only nervous mom on Soarin' I was scared to death Adam would fall out!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Love the pizza at Via Napoli!  And that arrancini appetizer is good too.  I think I've mentioned before that we had full dinners there last year, and I was disappointed.  I'll stick to the pizza. 

 

Now, I of course must comment on the princess interactions.  IMO, every one of those princesses SMB....from Ms White to Mulan to Jasmine.  Maybe it's just that none of them can hold a candle to the previous days interaction. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

The Neverland Club looks great.  Glad to hear Z had a blast.  I'm betting the CMs taking care of him did too.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

My kids are too old for the NeverLand Club, but it does look like the best themed babysitting service.  

Never did make it to the pizza place our last trip.  It is still on the to do list.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Awesome pics. Z is always so adorable! That looks like a squirrel with mange or something. I hear they carry fleas, so maybe it lost hair due to flea bites? That was a mighty sweet thing to do for your Mama!

 

Thanks! Yeah, it could be a diseased squirrel instead of a rat. Ha ha! Both are kind of gross.

 

We really enjoyed surprising the moms. They really deserved a treat. My mom has always been great to me, so I love that I can do stuff for her now.

 

Thanks for the neverland club review. That info may come in handy someday!

It does look like a kid's paradise.

So the CMs he was sandwiched between were just more ladies wrapped around his finger right?

 

Of course they were.... a young lady on each side!

 

I would definitely recommend the Neverland Club. It's like a night out of the kids too. And from what I understand, it is MUCH bigger than the kids' place at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

Thanks Kelly!

 

No problem!

 

I am glad to hear I'm not the only nervous mom on Soarin' I was scared to death Adam would fall out!

 

He didn't help matters that he was leaning forward! The kid has no fear sometimes... well most of the time.

 

Love the pizza at Via Napoli!  And that arrancini appetizer is good too.  I think I've mentioned before that we had full dinners there last year, and I was disappointed.  I'll stick to the pizza. 

 

Now, I of course must comment on the princess interactions.  IMO, every one of those princesses SMB....from Ms White to Mulan to Jasmine.  Maybe it's just that none of them can hold a candle to the previous days interaction. 

 

I remember you mentioning that. The pizza is so good that I'm not sure I could order anything else.

 

I agree that the characters the day before were better. Aladdin had a fun time teasing Z, and that was cute.

 

The Neverland Club looks great.  Glad to hear Z had a blast.  I'm betting the CMs taking care of him did too.

 

They were all very sweet! When we picked him up (which was more than 2 hours before they close), there were 6 of them and just him. I'm not sure when the rest of the kids left, but at the end he was getting tons of attention!

 

My kids are too old for the NeverLand Club, but it does look like the best themed babysitting service.  

Never did make it to the pizza place our last trip.  It is still on the to do list.

 

The Neverland club was really cool! Make the pizza place a "must do" for next time. It's YUMMY!

[mgsmom 9]

Thanks for the update!  I know they are a lot of work.  Princess pictures are cute!  Z definitely enjoys the ladies...

 

That is so cool that Z enjoyed the kids club, and you got some pics!!  I am planning to drop DD at one next year when we stay at WL, so it is good to know he had fun!  I think we often forget that as much as we need a break, they need one too.  :waycool:

 

DD hasn't ridden Soarin yet - we are going to give it a try next summer.  How are they strapped in that makes so many afraid they will fall out?  I'll probably have my "mom arm" out too! 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks for the update!  I know they are a lot of work.  Princess pictures are cute!  Z definitely enjoys the ladies...

 

That is so cool that Z enjoyed the kids club, and you got some pics!!  I am planning to drop DD at one next year when we stay at WL, so it is good to know he had fun!  I think we often forget that as much as we need a break, they need one too.  :waycool:

 

DD hasn't ridden Soarin yet - we are going to give it a try next summer.  How are they strapped in that makes so many afraid they will fall out?  I'll probably have my "mom arm" out too! 

 

I'm sure the kids' club at the Wilderness Lodge is great too. I wouldn't really be worried about Soarin. They have a lap belt plus a strap between their legs. It's not that they'll actually fall out; it's just that mommy thing. Mom arm, yes!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Oops, I got my days confused. We didn’t go to MK on Tuesday. We went to DHS. So instead of what I promised, you get DHS, me going to a conference, and `Ohana. Sorry, I’m a liar.

 

Of course we did RD. The goal was for me to take Z to sign up for the Jedi Training Academy and for my mom to grab TSM FPs. Then, we would meet at Rockin Rollercoaster.

 

A little history on Z and the JTA…. In April we were going to sign him up, but he decided that morning that he didn’t want to do it. Then later that day when he saw it, he got really upset because he wanted to do it. So this time I decided we were signing up no matter what, and he could always change his mind later.

 

We were able to get Z signed up for the 1:20 show and mom got the FPs.

 

Once at RnR, we rode using the single rider line and child swap. Ah, that woke me up!

 

 

 

We headed over to the Disney Jr. show because Z loves it. The story line still doesn’t make much sense to me, but whatever.

 

 

Then, it was time to ride TSM because my mom apparently outran everyone, and we had a 9:45 return time. Go Mom!

 

As usual, my score wasn’t very good. But I don’t have pictures, sorry.

 

We watched Voyage of the Little Mermaid, so Z could see his girlfriend.

 

And met his buddy, Jake. Jake doesn’t have a photopass photographer with him anymore. What the fort is up with that? In fact, we only have a couple of photos from DHS because there were hardly any photopass photographers out. Hopefully Dave Devores can shed some light on this. I didn’t notice this shortage in any other park.

 

 

 

We were hungry. And thanks to TCD, I knew what I wanted to try.

 

 

The pretzel dog! And they’re pretty good. And big. I couldn’t finish mine. It could have used a little more salt on the pretzel, but I’m more of a salt person than most.

 

 

Then we were off to Star Tours. I had picked up a FP sometime before. Z loved it as usual. We watched some of the JTA, and Z was really excited about doing it, but he had some time.

 

So we headed to Germ Central.

 

 

 

 

After playing a bit, it was time to check in for the JTA.

 

They lined all the kids up by height. Z is the line leader because he was the smallest.

 

 

Then they passed out the robes.

 

 

And Z started getting nervous. It seems he loves the idea of battling Darth Vader when he sees it going on, but when he’s away from it and just thinking about it, he’s afraid.

 

And so, just as they were walking out with him as the line leader, he bailed.

 

I asked if he was sure he didn’t want to do it, and he said he didn’t, so we gave the robe back and headed out. A little part of me wonders if he would have been OK had he not been the line leader of if we had done it earlier, but oh well. There’s always next time, right?

 

After a little shopping, we headed back to the Poly because I had meetings for my conference.

 

Someone was really tired and feel asleep on the way back.

 

 

We came back to a towel sculpture.

 

 

Here are some pics of the Poly I took while waiting on the monorail.

 

 

 

Part of what I did at the conference that afternoon was a meeting with my dissertation chair that went really well. I won’t bore you with more about that.

 

We had a dinner planned….. `Ohana! And it was my first time. I can say that this is one Disney restaurant that lives up to the hype. We weren’t seated right next to a window, but we did have a view of the castle.

 

Z was acting a little special, so mom ordered me a drink.

 

 

Pood forn

 

 

I knew I shouldn’t fill up on those, but I had to try one of each. I had a little salad too, and OMG it was delicious!

 

Z loves wings.

 

 

He learned this trick at Chef Mickey’s in April and breaks it out everywhere.

 

 

He raced some coconuts.

 

 

And danced a love dance with Grammy.

 

 

 

I stink and didn’t get any meat shots! But I did get one of dessert.

 

 

And WOW!!!!! WOW! WOW! WOW! That bread pudding is good. Really good. I was so full, but I couldn’t quit eating it.

 

After dinner, we headed back to the room for an early bedtime because we had MK rope drop in the morning. This time for real!

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

I know how you could entice Z to fight Vader.

Tell him Uncle Lou will buy him a MSB cinnamon roll.

i dont get the Disney Jr thing either but DD loves it so thats all that matters.

I need to try the Lapu Lapu even if it's just to say i tried it.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I know people say you shouldn't eat the potstickers or wings and save room for the expensive meat....but I actually enjoy the potstickers and wings more than some of the meat!  Plus, I somehow find room for everything.  But man, I seriously could make a meal out of the potstickers and wings.  And the bread pudding, of course. 

 

Ohhhh-HANA!!!!!!!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

We must eat at this place some time.  It looks so good!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

We were hungry. And thanks to TCD, I knew what I wanted to try.

 

The pretzel dog! And they’re pretty good. And big. I couldn’t finish mine. It could have used a little more salt on the pretzel, but I’m more of a salt person than most.

 

 

 

 

Hey!

 

What the heck is that thing?

 

Gross.

 

This is how it's supposed to look:

 

 

They actually have a tool back there in the boat that they use to hollow out the pretzels.  I hope this split roll was just a mistake.  

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I know how you could entice Z to fight Vader.

Tell him Uncle Lou will buy him a MSB cinnamon roll.

i dont get the Disney Jr thing either but DD loves it so thats all that matters.

I need to try the Lapu Lapu even if it's just to say i tried it.

 

:cauldron-smiley:

 

I know people say you shouldn't eat the potstickers or wings and save room for the expensive meat....but I actually enjoy the potstickers and wings more than some of the meat!  Plus, I somehow find room for everything.  But man, I seriously could make a meal out of the potstickers and wings.  And the bread pudding, of course. 

 

Ohhhh-HANA!!!!!!!

 

It was an excellent meal. I wish I could have eaten more. I tried. We did get both dipping sauces, but I thought the meat was perfect how it was.

 

We must eat at this place some time.  It looks so good!

 

You should! It is! It will be a must do on my next trip.

 

Hey!

 

What the heck is that thing?

 

Gross.

 

This is how it's supposed to look:

 

 

They actually have a tool back there in the boat that they use to hollow out the pretzels.  I hope this split roll was just a mistake.  

 

TCD

 

Hmmmm..... I thought it looked different than it was supposed to and different from the picture on the menu. It was still good though!

[Lou... 3,118]

I have a question. Are the clubs only if you are staying at the deluxe resort in question? Or are they open to anyone? 

 

There are 5 Child Activity Centers at WDW. Anyone on or off property can use them.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

There are 5 Child Activity Centers at WDW. Anyone on or off property can use them.

 

Thanks Lou!

[RestlessNative 6]

Part of what I did at the conference that afternoon was a meeting with my dissertation chair that went really well. I won’t bore you with more about that.

 

 

This sounds good!!! What's your field? I'm not bored!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

There are 5 Child Activity Centers at WDW. Anyone on or off property can use them.

 

I don't mean to hijack Kelly's report, but does anyone know if the Child Activity Centers are equipped to handle special needs?  I understand it may depend on the child's toileting abilities.  I doubt we will be in any position to use the clubs for the foreseeable future, but was curious. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

This sounds good!!! What's your field? I'm not bored!

 

Reading education and instructional leadership

 

I don't mean to hijack Kelly's report, but does anyone know if the Child Activity Centers are equipped to handle special needs?  I understand it may depend on the child's toileting abilities.  I doubt we will be in any position to use the clubs for the foreseeable future, but was curious. 

 

I do know that the kids have to be potty trained. I'm not sure about special needs. There seems to be a VERY high CM to kid ratio, so I would think they could handle some depending on specific issues. You could always call and ask. Or maybe Lou knows. But he might have you on ignore because of the cinnamon rolls. LOL

[Lou... 3,118]

 

I do know that the kids have to be potty trained. I'm not sure about special needs. There seems to be a VERY high CM to kid ratio, so I would think they could handle some depending on specific issues. You could always call and ask. Or maybe Lou knows.

 

 

I think the following should answer the question. They are the child requirements:

 

Must be independent with their toileting needs.  

Children in diapers or pull-ups are not admitted

Must be able to play well with others.

Must be able to feed themselves.

Must not require individual supervision or one-on-one attention.

 

While there are no minimum length of stays, there is a 2 hour minimum charge.

Call 407-WDW-DINE for info and to make a res.

 

 

[mgsmom 9]

Cute pics!!!  I think I really have to try O'Hana next time we go.  It really does look yummy.  Maybe lunch one day...  I like how your mom sensed your need for a drink. 

 

Big thumbs-up for you on letting Z bail with grace.  It's so hard when they do that, but you handled it so well! 

 

I wonder if you are doing the same program a friend of mine did - she had to go to Florida every so often for things like that.