Land & Sea Honeymoon w/ a Reluctant DH (06/17-06/24) **Updated 7/30** - Page 4 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Land & Sea Honeymoon w/ a Reluctant DH (06/17-06/24) **Updated 8/07**
Pt 5 our 2 hour visit to the AK and Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau
Right from the beginning the day did not start right. It was our last day at DW before our DCL trip. I saved the last day for the AK because I wasn’t really interested in doing much there except for a couple of attractions. We caught the bus that takes us to the AK at the GF near the convention center. The bus took so long it was not funny. We (an about 20 other visitors) waited in the super HOT sun for what seemed like forever. Once we arrived at the park it was PACKED! We were so spoiled after visiting the other practically empty parks; this was not what we expected. I was wondering why it was super jam packed?! It turns out that AK had early EMH that morning. By 10am, they were giving out Fastpasses for 6pm! NO way!
Because of the huge crowds and the hot sun we decided to head off to the Finding Nemo show. Bad idea, that too had closed early because it already met capacity. As we walked through the sea of strollers, I was starting to get annoyed and grumpy. We were starving so we decided to go eat at the Flame Tree Barbecue. I had heard really great reviews and I saw it mentioned on one of the food network’s specials. We got there the lines were very long. No problem, we can wait it out. But then we noticed that there was no indoor seating away from the sun. The limited number of tables that were there we all taken. It was so bad that families we sitting in the middle of the sidewalk trying to eat. People had to literally step over them. This was crazy!
We were contemplating whether of not to (again) walk all the way around the park to find a sit down restaurant. I asked Lou what he felt like doing, he said it was totally up to me. We decided to head back to the GF and explore the hotel. BY the time we waited for the bus to get back to the GF, the Grand Floridian Café was closed. I guess they were starting to switch from the lunch to dinner menu or something along those lines. So we decided to eat at Gasparilla Grill and Games. We hadn’t eaten there before so we decided to give it a try. We ended up having a nice lunch at one of the outdoor patio tables with a beautiful view of the lagoon and the magic kingdom castle. We were even feeding the ducks that met us at our table.
After lunch, Lou went to the convention center to check his email. I decided to take more pictures of the GF. I even did a little more shopping at the stores. I had woke up early that morning and bought a couple of GF polo shirts and a Mickey t-shirt.
All of my fragile and large items (scrapbook) I had shipped home. I didn’t want to carry them with me, plus they were able to combine the items that I had bought at the parks. I used the resort delivery option when we visited Epcot and my items were in the resort gift shop the next morning. The gift shop was able to combine those purchases and whatever I bought that day and send it home in one package. This was very convenient.
I after taking more pictures of the resort I went back to the room and started tidying up a bit. We had ADRs for the Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau in a couple of hours so I thought it was best to stick close by. Plus our bags were going to be picked up the next morning by ME so I knew I should start packing a bit.
I was staring to feel bad that we wasted a day at DW, but I couldn’t let myself think like that. After all, we were still on DW property and we had the Luau later. By the time Lou got back, we relaxed on the veranda and watched the monorail go by a couple of times. It was really peaceful and beautiful. I had Lou get the rest of his stuff together
leaving out only the items he would need that night and for the morning. I tell you, if I don’t take charge I wonder what he’d do without me?
After reading many of the posts and reviews online, I was kind of hesitant about booking the Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau dinner show. I read a lot of reviews and they all seemed to mention the “bad” food and “cheesy” show. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt so we went a head and booked category 1 seating for the 8pm show.
We went to the Polynesian Resort a little early so that we would have a chance to walk around a bit. I was really excited, after all this hotel was my first choice. The monorail dropped us off on the 2nd floor, right near the beautiful lobby. The center of the lobby held a waterfall and tropical plants. We followed the signs outside and around the paths to the Luau Cove. When we arrived we handed the CM our tickets, she gave us leis and she escorted us over to have our picture taken. After our souvenir picture was taken we were placed in a holding area to wait for the luau. Drinks were offered and we were able to mingle in a tropical sitting area or walk a path near the beach. We decided to purchase a drink and walk onto the beach. Lighted tiki torches led the way. The view from the beach was of the GF and the Wedding Pavilion.
When it was time to be seated, we made our way back to the entrance of the Luau cove. Because it was just the two of us, we had a table for 2 (and the food) all to ourselves.
The table had food already waiting for us!
Our appetizer was: Tropical Mixed Green Salad with Mango Poppy Seed Dressing Pineapple-coconut Bread Pineapple chunks
Even though wine, soft drinks and beer were included in our tickets I really wanted sometime of fruity island drink. Lou and I both got the tropical drink that was served in large coconuts. We thought “Hey, we’re on our honeymoon; we could splurge a bit”. Our souvenir coconut drinks were very cute; I had to pose for a pic. as soon as we got them!
Our main course was a platter FILLED with: Island Barbecued Pork Ribs Lanai Roasted Chicken Polynesian Rice Fresh Seasonal Vegetables
For Dessert we had the: Kilauea Volcano Delight
The show was separated into 2 different sections. The first was a “play” about a girl who returns from the mainland to rediscover her “roots”. The second part of the show were different Polynesian dances. The “play” was a little cheese just as the reviews said. They had an audience participation part were people could go on stage and learn to hula. They even invited people who were celebrating a birthday that month to jump on stage and dance in another number. Over all it was cute but we went paying too much attention (we were too busy eating all of the great food!)
What surprised me was that another couple just got up and left in the middle of the dances. We had a good time because we just went with the flow, we were not expecting anything super traditional. They should have stuck around because the best part was coming next… the fire dancer. This guy comes out and does a great dance with fire…supper cool. This was definitely Lou’s favorite part and was worth the wait!
We got back to the hotel around 11pm or so. We were still wound up from the Luau so we decided to go swimming in the courtyard pool / hot tub (it was open 24hours). I was surprised to see a couple of kids still swimming at pool so late. Another addition to our late night swim was 2 ducks. We spent the rest of the night laughing as we watched the kids trying to keep up with them. We didn’t leave the pool until around 1am, and would you believe there was still around 5-7 people left. I didn’t see the need to rush back right away because we had already packed about 90% of our stuff. We had to have it ready to go by 8am, when the Disney cruise people would pick it up from our rooms. I really loved the fact that we had such a blast the past couple of days and we still had a cruise to the Bahamas ahead. Disney Rocks!
Pt 6, Leaving WDW and Day 1 aboard the Disney Wonder.
Last edited by Disneydiana; 12-30-2008 at 10:20 AM..
I was surprised by AK's large crowd when I was there this past May. I guess it's not like it used to be. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the luau, the food looked so good. Can't wait to hear about DCL!!!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
Okay I know I'm a little late, lol, but I just read about the land part of your honeymoon. Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time. How beautiful is that room at GF? Wish I could stay there some day. Love all the pics especially the one of you and the coconut drink at the luau, it's just great. Now I'll have to read the sea part of your honeymoon. Talk to you soon.
About This Page: 
Looking forward to more.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Great time at MGM 
We had a great time there too last year! Sorry AK was so crowded 
to hear that AK was so busy!! The luau sounds like a lot of fun! I haven't been to that show since I was 11 years old!!
this photo!
![[SIGPIC]](signaturepics/sigpic27594_7.gif)
Linear Mode
