The "So Cheap it's Practically Free" Trip--4/30-5/3 - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Sorry to take such a long break!! I'm not sure what happened...stuff, I guess?
So, we left off with going to sleep Sunday night post fireworks and picnic.
Sunday morning we, meaning Adam, woke up earlyish and I took him onto the patio to work on his journal, eat cheerios, and have a coffee (I had the coffee, he had the cheerios). Today he's going on another Pirate Adventure Cruise, this one from GF. He really enjoyed the trip from YC and was all about another one.
There are four versions of the Pirate thing, GF, YC, CB, and PO, with different tasks or themes. You book by calling and then you have to enter the confirmation number yourself into MDX because it won't show up. Side rant: How many millions for this tech (band, app) and they can't link everything for you? My band should know I'm DVC, AP, TiW, Pirate Cruising, etc. Anyway, when you call, you get all the information you need, including where to go and the very specific instruction to arrive 15-30 minutes early for your 9:30 cruise.
So we did that. And so did one other kid on the cruise. We monorailed over and were standing at the dock at 9:10. My first thought was that these "pirates" were less enthusiastic than our last "pirate" captain, but I liked them, despite their kind of quiet voices that didn't sell the pirate angle well. The "pirates" talked to the tow kids (mine and the other on time kid) and were preparing to leave because FIVE other kids were not yet there at 9:30. Just as they were preparing to load our two, the two families (together, clearly) came around the corner with their five kids. Late. And clearly staying at GF, so no excuses in my opinion. And then one had to go to the bathroom. The other mom and I were pretty angry; the kids lost 15 minutes of their cruise, and we managed to figure out where to be and be early. I get that wrangling kids is hard, but when you book this you are very clearly told, more than once, how early to be. This family was unconcerned. AND THEN, one of the kids started crying and they had to remove her from the boat!!
They finally departed, with the storyline that the pirate ship had been stolen!! It was supposed to be right there at the dock, but it wasn't and they had to take a pontoon boat to go find their ship.
We took a walk to go find a bloody mary. The the GF Cafe. Two. and an Omelette. And then we sat at the big quiet pool with the wandering waiter. So civilized...
At 11:30 we went back to the dock, and they pulled in, far less enthusiastic than the last cruise he'd been on. (if you didn't read that one, they were chasing Captain Stinky feet, all with swords drawn in the bow of the boat, and disembarked to find a treasure chest). They got off the boat to find the treasure hidden in the bushes this time, and each kid got a bag of gem stones. They were happy, but having seen another one, I wasn't impressed.
From what I can gather from a five year old reporter, they found their boat, wrecked. I'm pretty sure it's the old 'wreck' on the shore of Discovery Island. It seemed like they got off the boat in some other places too, but it was hard to get a full storyline out of Adam. He did get a pirate name and snacks though. And said it was fun, but that the other trip was more fun and he'd like to do the other one again.
Being the kind of mom who thinks ahead, I'd brought Adam's swimsuit with us and convinced him to come see the awesome quiet pool! I hate to give this away, but the GF pool is huge, shallow for the bulk of it, and has awesome bubbler fountains at the shallowest part that were just right for a 44 inch tall kid who hates water on his face. We spent ALL DAY there. Our waiter keep our drinks full, and we had lunch/snack from him as well. Adam played with a little girl who was a bit older but a great playmate for him; she was the baby in her family and I think she liked having someone little to look up to her and be in charge of a bit, but she totally respected his way of playing.
We liked that pool so much that we're considering a split stay for our next trip with two nights. Note, there is no gate that requires a key/band. I won't be surprised if that happens, as both Poly pools had that. However, the Poly is probably more likely to get pool hoppers I think. The Lava Pool is a draw for sure, but so is the ambiance. Get ready for my sociological analysis of why the Poly is gated but the GF is not: people who plan to pool hop against the rules may feel that the GF is too upscale/expensive/fancy/stuffy and that pool hoppers would stand out or be noticed; the Poly appears more bourgeoisie, at least in the perception of those not staying there; they both are expensive and likely have the same clientele, but from the outsiders perspective, the illicit pool hopper perspective, they might fit in better at the casual Poly as opposed to the stuffy GF. Note; I did not find the GF stuffy, but I think some people might. But that pool is lovely and I appreciated the quiet and the table service.
We hung around there for the rest of the afternoon and then took the boat back to Poly for the rest time I'd mentioned before.
To sum up Monday Day: don't be late (it's rude to others); Pirate Cruise at YC is better; GF quiet pool is awesome.
That's a total bummer that the quality of the Pirate Cruise wasn't as high as last time, and that he even noticed it wasn't as good But loved your relaxing day by the pool! I've only stayed at GF in winter and it was coooold so I didn't actually get to enjoy the pool, but it does look lovely when I've walked by!
Wow! I completely failed at finishing this and didn't even realize it.
So after that pool day we went to Epcot, ate in Italy with the world's nicest waitresses who took Adam on long walks around the restaurant and on the patio to watch the deluge of rain that came. Monsoon rain. Build an ark kind of rain. We got soaked on the way back.
And honestly, I can't remember the coming home part.
But, Adam keeps asking about Poly and when can we go there and can we make our house look like a hotel lobby. He just asked this yesterday:
Adam: can we make our house look like a hotel?
Me: How would we do that? What has to change around here?
Adam: you know, make it pretty, not like it is now.
Me: Thanks, kid, glad to know our house isn't pretty
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Great time at the pool! 
Glad you had a great time!
Can't wait to read the PTR for the next trip. 
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