We're all going on a Poly-holiday - October 2019: Day 7: Dumbo the flightless elephant

[bambikate]

Day 7: Dumbo the flightless elephant
Saturday 19 October 2019

Index

A very wet day in MK, breakfast at Be Our Guest, Dole Whips and lunch at Casey’s Corner, back to the hotel for some pool time and back out to Epcot for dinner at Teppan Edo and some fireworks

Yesterday’s bad weather hadn’t gone away and we woke up to some very dark clouds and a weather report which said it was going to be hammering it down for most of the day.

Not wanting the rain to stop play, we got ready and planned on hitting MK anyway and just dodge the rain as best we could. We had a breakfast reservation at BOG to be going to!

You could feel the rain was about to come in the air

Immy on our balcony before we set off



We left our room and walked to the Great Ceremonial House and up to the monorail station and just like that the heavens opened



We waited at the monorail station at MK for a break in the rain (along with 100s of others) but the rain wasn’t slowing down so we decided to just go for it. We made it as far as the magic band scanners and were already drenched. I told Andy I didn’t want to spend the day in soggy clothes so we went in to the Emporium and bought some ponchos… Andy was stubborn and refused to get one so the girls and I just got them and Andy decided to just get soaked instead.

When it rains in Disney stick a poncho on and have fun



We waded our way through the park and finally made it to Be Our Guest and checked in. There was a big queue but luckily enough space for us all to wait under shelter. We were handed a menu for us to make our decision whilst we waited. After making our choices we decided on a table in the West Wing for breakfast.





On the DDP this restaurant is an excellent use of a QS credit but out of pocket, I wouldn’t ever dream of paying these prices - outrageous!

The girls had the children’s dish “Crepes De Cogsworth” - Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache Crępes with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream served with a selection of pastries.


I thought it looked very nice but apparently it wasn't as good as Mummy’s pancakes with Nutella

I went for the croissant donut - Fried Doughnut topped with Banana-Caramel Sauce, Pastry Crčme, and Chocolate Ganache served with fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries which would have cost… $29 if paying OOP…. No, that’s not a typo. I had this last time we dined here as well.



Andy had feast a la Gaston - Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, and Roasted Potatoes served with Fresh Fruit ($29 OOP)



We also opted for the mimosa as it was included as part of the DDP - would have otherwise cost $11 each. We could also help ourselves to coffee, tea and water if we wanted to. Andy and I chose a coffee each. The girls chose Nesquik.

Wet hair!



The Mimosa was quite nice but not as good as the one we had at Crystal Palace.

It also came with with a plate of pastries again to share - annoyingly we got the same as a couple on the next table even though there was four of us, which if I was paying OOP I think I might have queried and taken some home for breakfast the next day but we didn’t need the extra pastry in all honesty…



The pastries were all really tasty. We enjoyed our experience at BOG - if you’re on the DDP it’s a fabulous choice for breakfast and lunch IMO the theming is great. If we were paying OOP this would have cost us about $125 which for a cronut, 2 small crepes and a tiny fry up is absolutely nuts!

After breakfast, we had a bit of spare time and decided to jump in the queue for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh



There’s a super cool selection of interactive games in the queue. I especially liked the honey wall which reacted when you touched it.







It was about a 10-15 minute wait in the end





A very cute ride for the littlies
We still had some time to spare so walked over to Under the Sea for a ride on the clam shells - this was the first time Andy and I could sit together and the girls could sit together on this ride so this called for a “Shellfie” (Thanks Jo)





















The animation on this bit really annoys me - it doesn’t look like Ariel





We walked round to Storybook Circus and the girls asked if they could go in Casey Jnr’s Splash and Soak with their ponchos - it seemed like a fun idea so we said yes. They loved it and were shrieking and having the best time.





Selfie

[bambikate]

We popped in to Storybook Treats to look at all the delicious treats being made







Afterwards, we decided to have a ride on Dumbo. We got in the standby line and part way through queuing we let the girls do the soft play whilst we chilled in the air conditioning. They had a fab time



When we rejoined the queue there was some sort of hold up and if felt like we were waiting forever before moving again - they were only operating one side of the ride, too so the queue was just generally really slow.

We eventually got on and chose our Dumbo - this was the first time the girls could sit together so Andy and are were in one together.

Well, when the ride started, we soon discovered that the controls were broken! we wouldn’t fly! The girls kept shouting “why aren’t you flying?!” we were laughing so hard we must have looked very boring to any onlookers, just staying on the ground whilst everyone else was flying.







After an exhilarating 90 seconds of looking up at the other Elephants the ride was over - you’ve got to laugh really.

Afterwards, the girls decided they would like to ride Barnstormer on their own - I was excited for them. A little bit of independence! We agreed and waited by the exit, which also had a very good viewpoint to see them on the ride and I managed to catch a little video of them.





They had a great time.

As we left we spotted Pluto (Immy’s favourite character) was wandering around with a couple of chaperones, Izzy told Immy who then waved at Pluto and he came bounding over enthusiastically and gave her a huge cuddle. I love seeing how happy there are when they meet characters, it’s adorable.







We walked back through the hub and over to Adventureland. On the way we stopped to get the cool pic that zooms in. There is a photo pass photographer in the garden to the right of the castle that does this for you.



Immy was browsing some of the designer sunglasses they had on offer…



Our main reason for venturing over to Adventureland was to go to Aloha Isle to try the raspberry and pineapple dole whip swirl and the pineapple upside down cake with pineapple dole whip on top.

During planning we had hoped the Hei Hei cone might make another appearance so we could try it but unfortunately it didn’t come back for our trip.





They were both DELICIOUS! We are all dole whip fans over here so we enjoyed them very much. Still think pineapple is my numero uno though (closely followed by lime)

We managed to find a seat outside and enjoyed the sun which had finally decided to show up and dry out our clothes and hair.





After our snack we thought we may as well visit the Tiki Room, there was no wait and the theatre was only half full.







We did have a giggle at a couple of Dads and Grandads that used it as a perfect opportunity for a power nap - kind of genius if you ask me.

Outside, the girls had a run around in the tiki water play area



It was now almost lunch time but having already eaten a big breakfast and having only just had a snack, we didn’t want to go too mad, so bought two adult meals (chilli cheese dogs and fries) and some loaded bacon cheese fries (2 QS meals and a snack credit) for the four of us to share (which to be honest was still too much)

We chose Casey’s corner and miraculously found a table inside.





These drinks were ENORMOUS!



We were ready for some down time and couldn’t wait to get back to our hotel now that the sunshine had turned up. Andy used this opportunity to tell me how dry his T-shirt now was and how much of a waste of money the ponchos were… Oh well! I can guarantee there would have been a lot more complaining from me and the girls if we hadn’t bought them and were sat in any of the air conditioned places we went to that morning!

We walked to the resort monorail station and waited a short while for the next monorail to turn up.





Back at the Poly



After a quick change we were pool side and ready for some relaxation (are you sensing a theme on this holiday? Up early, smash out a park by lunch, chill, maybe go back out again? )





It would have been rude not to have cocktails, possibly even illegal, who knows.

[bambikate]

Andy went for his fave, long island iced tea and I had another dole whip and rum cocktail. They were both really refreshing.



Happy





After a good amount of chilling we went back to our room to shower and get dressed ready to go back to Epcot. We had dinner booked at Teppan Edo, somewhere we absolutely love. We have always wanted to go to Japan and will absolutely visit there one day.

Teppan Edo is one of those restaurants we have such happy memories of. I think it’s a combination of the unique experience, great service from the CMs and delicious food. We obviously were toying between trying somewhere new and going to somewhere we knew we would love and after a lot of researching in the planning stage, Teppan Edo made the cut.

We walked to the TTC to get the monorail over to Epcot again.



On the monorail



We had saved our fast passes to use that night at Epcot (hence why we only did walk ons at MK in the morning)

First up was Spaceship Earth, we were grateful to have the fast passes as the stand by queue was 20 minutes, which wasn’t horrendous but obviously 20 minutes spent somewhere else in Epcot would be preferred!









I’m super sad this has closed for refurb now - I know the Imagineers will make the new ride amazing but to know we will never go on the same ride again is quite sad. I still remember my Mum’s first trip to WDW, we went with my Mum’s friend and her daughter and my Mum and her friend stayed on this ride for about 3 or 4 times in a row - they loved it that much.

We then walked over to our next fast pass - Soarin’ we were short on time for our dinner reservation so we didn’t bother waiting for B1 but still had a fabulous experience

We fast walked our way through the food and wine crowds in single file and somehow got to Teppan Edo only a few minutes late. It wasn’t an issue as they were running a little behind anyway and we were handed our buzzers and asked to hang around nearby and go up the steps when it buzzed.

It wasn’t a long wait and we were soon in the restaurant and being introduced to the other diners who would be sharing the table with us. A father and his two grown up sons, and two girls who were friends visiting from Boston.

For drinks, Andy and I had Tokyo Sunsets - Coconut Rum, Creme De Banana, Peach Schnapps, Pineapple Juice

Me and Izzy



Immy and Daddy



We perused the menu and decided on what protein we wanted - we all decided on steak!

To start with, everyone was given a side salad with a soy sauce dressing



Our teppanyaki chef was called Masayo and she was so much fun and had a great energy, which made the experience even better.

Mickey oil!



Yummy vegetables



The girls were really happy with the customised kids chopsticks the CM made them using some paper and a rubber band - they remembered this from their previous visits and said they hoped they would do this again.



Olaf onions!



My fam!



Now time for the noodles



Mickey!



All the pics of preparing the food and none of our finished dish - whoops! Well, it was vegetables, noodles and steak with yum yum sauce (if you haven’t heard of it - google it, it’s delicious but make sure you use Japanese mayo specifically as it has a specific flavour) It was DELICIOUS. We were all too full for dessert so decided to give it a miss but as it was included in the DDP we got 4 mango mousse cakes to go for a late night snack in our room….

Beautiful Japan! This is probably our favourite World Showcase Pavilion







We are all huge Illuminations fans - it’s always been our favourite show at Disney, I cry and get shivers every time I watch it, it’s just so special to us. When they announced it was closing I was so sad as I didn’t realise the last time we watched it would be our last time ever.

I was anxious about the temporary show “Epcot Forever” they have whilst they prepare “Harmonious” but was prepared to give it a fair trial.

Despite Japan being our favourite area, we however fancied a grey goose slush so walked round to France and picked up a couple from there. We walked round to the lower area near the bridge between France and the UK and found a spot on the wall (all of the ones in front of the railings were taken already)





Yum!



About 10 minutes before the show started a group of 20 somethings turned up and stood next to us, there wasn’t quite enough room for them all to sit on the wall so Izzy shuffled up to let them have space, they thanked her and we all had enough space to sit and watch the show with a great view.

HOWEVER, a guy in the group who turned up a couple of minutes before the show (who happened to be about 6ft 6) stood right in front of us!

I was SO annoyed but hate confrontation so the girls and I tried our best to see to the left and right of his ever moving head - selfish idiot.



The show started and I was less than impressed, not a single shiver, I didn’t like the music - just massively disappointed and it was nothing like Illuminations. Absolutely gutted. I don’t think it helped that guy put me in a bad mood but I certainly wouldn’t go back to see it. BRING BACK ILLUMINATIONS! I seriously hope Harmonious is better and pays homage to Illuminations in some way.



























Despite not enjoying the show, the rest of our day was magical and we were in high spirits as we boarded the monorail to head back to the resort.



On the way back from the TTC to our room we walked past the Oasis pool - it looked so pretty at night I had to take a picture.




Another brilliant day.

[Inky]

Fab day, you got the grey goose slushy, yum. The Poly looks a gorgeous place to stay.

[Guest]

This will forever be known to me as “the day the rain came”. Despite living in Scotland I have never experienced such heavy rain in my life. Legged it to the mall at Millenia in biblical weather only to come out into blistering sunshine...

[sheluk]

Gosh the poly looks gorgeous, especially at night. Did you book as soon as it came out for the DDP for the best price? Hope you don’t mind me asking.

You got a seat at Caseys? Say whaaaat! Crazy stuff.

I cannot believe a meal (breakfast as well) for a family of 4 at BoG would be that much. Absolutely shocking!

Love Teppan edo, glad you enjoyed. What a moron standing in front of you at the fireworks - some people have zero self awareness. Yay to the grey goose slush xx

[minnie52]

Ah how exciting the girls are now old enough to ride together and by themselves on Barnstormer! My two will be old enough by the end of the year and they cannot wait haha!

You had another lovely day! I agree about BOG I love the theming but is so expensive OOP! 🙈

Your meal at Teppan Edo sounds lovely. We have never tried here- always one that I want to try and never seem to get round too! Must try harder on future trips!

A shame about the selfish man standing in front of you 😡 some people have no consideration!

[mick]

As you say a brilliant day even with the morning rain

Joan

[mrsdjh]

Totally agree about the cost of Be Our Guest - I had the Cronut too - it was delicious especially on the DDP!

Shame about the rain but you didn’t let it stop you. Can’t believe the girls went in the wet areas as well!

Shame about the show and the rude guy.

[lemon-squeeze]

This was our first full day and the rain was like nothing I've ever seen, worked in our favour though as HS was so quiet, walk on for all of Toy Story Land, think we did slinky 3 times and also walk on for Smugglers Run, we had the best fun in the rain and got to do most of HS by 11am, left the park for a rest just as the sun came out and the crowds arrived.