Friday, September 17th

Spending the Day at the Polynesian Resort

Today was a day to relax and enjoy the resort. Yes, that's right: we spent the entire day at the Polynesian Resort. Why not? There's a lot to do there, starting of course, with breakfast!

Once again, we returned to Ohana's for breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Here Madison is, enjoying a hug from her best friend Lilo. Not only was she there, but Stitch was too. And Pluto - and Mickey Mouse! Pluto was probably one of the funnest surprises: he snuck up from behind on Madison at a point that she had no idea there were any characters there. She was just minding her own business, eating her Mickey waffles when all of the sudden, she got a tap on the shoulder. She turned to see who it was and wow! It was Pluto!

Autographs were signed and kisses on the nose were given, and everyone had a good time. The food is always plentiful and delicious, and once again Ohana's has cemented in my mind the opinion that this is the best place to eat in Disney. The view of the castle and the atmosphere make it fun for everyone!

Afterwards, we explored the lobby a bit, and even took a few photos of Madison in front of the tropical setting.

We also spent some time looking for Hidden Mickeys - of which we found several. Madison was involved in the hunt: she spotted the ones on the carpet in our building at Fiji.

The one thing we were really looking forward to today was... the pool!

This pool has a zero entry portion that made it fun for Madison. It also has a volcano with a water slide, which made it fun for Daddy. Mommy, Daddy and Madison all hopped in the pool today for a lot of swimming. We listened to music, splashed a lot, and even (shudder!) went under the water fall! We spent quite a bit of time at the pool. It's such a nice one, too. You can actually see the Cinderella's Castle from the pool as you swim, which is kind of cool.

We explored the grounds a little after that, checking out the other longhouses. We also popped in the Neverland Club to check it out. Madison colored for a bit and even made a bookmark, but we left there soon after in order to walk along the beach.

Soon, it was time for the torch lighting ceremony. The fire juggler from last night was there to light the torches in all the resort, and even did some more twirling as Madison giggled again. "Hot!" she'd say, and then "Ouch!"

Afterwards, and just for the fun of it, we hopped on the Monorail and zipped around Seven Seas Lagoon. We stopped at the Contemporary Resort and did some shopping in the stores there.

For dinner, Daddy stopped at Captain Cook's and picked us all up some pizzas and pasta, which we gobbled up in our room. Each room has a pull-out table, which made for a cozy dining arrangement inside. When we finished eating, it was time to head out again to watch the "Wishes" fireworks show from the shores of the Polynesian.

This time we went to a different beach, which happened to have the "Wishes" soundtrack playing in time with the fireworks. It was magical! We got there quite early, and spent a lot of time building a complex sandcastle. Mommy sat back on the beach chair and watched as Daddy and Madison began building an empire of sand. It was so big, we started attracting other kids!

But soon the Electrical Water Pageant began to light up on the lake, and that meant the fireworks would soon be starting. It was a magnificent display! The weather was perfect, and the three of us were there together on the shore taking in the show. What a wonderful night, and a lasting memory for me personally. Just sitting there with my family with everything so perfect was just what the doctor ordered!

We went back to Fiji, and back to bed, of course. Madison was dressed elegantly for dinner in her Belle nightgown. Take a look!

It was a nice evening, and an earlier one too. We have a great day planned tomorrow, but this day was most wonderful in its own way. It was a perfect day at the Polynesian.