Back to the Polynesian

The parade is over and the crowds, such as they were, are dispersed when we get back to the hub. We pass by another PhotoPass photographer and… okay, what the heck. We’re tired and not really feeling photogenic, but we’ll stop and pose again anyway. It doesn’t cost anything, and just adds to the value of the all-included Photo CD we’ll be purchasing after the trip.

As we make our way through Town Square and under the train tracks, Brandon asks if we can take the boat back to the Polynesian. Um, no thanks.

We exit the park and make our way up to the monorail station. While we wait for the train to arrive, I enjoy the sun glinting off of the water near the Grand Floridian and take stock of the trip so far.

Energy-wise, we’re running down, but that’s as it should be. The whole point of our four days in the parks / three days on the cruise combo is that we can exhaust ourselves running around Walt Disney World, and then take it easy when we get on board the ship. (Walt Disney Suite tomorrow! Yay!!) Physically, though, I’m miles ahead of the last trip. Early blisters and a lack of preparation had me hurting from the end of our first day at the World in 2005. This time I’m sore, yes, tired, yes, but not in pain and able to endure a lot more.

Sure, I’m not able to match my kids’ supply of energy, but hey, I’ve always figured they sapped their energy straight from their mom and me anyway.

Monorail Pink arrives before long and we get on board for the trip around the lagoon.

It’s uneventful, and soon enough we pull into the Polynesian station and head into the Great House. We’re ready to rest, but we figure we should knock out some souvenir shopping first.

We explore the gift shop and find some wonderful Polynesian picture frames – with one featuring Lilo & Stitch. Perfect for us, and the other one can go to my parents with a picture from our trip, as a small “thank you” for the matching windbreakers they gave us.

After checkout – and a bit of additional pin trading by Brandon with the cashier – we finally head back to our room to rest. We return to our room at 3:37 in the afternoon, where I am able to retrieve my PassPorter and resume my detailed note-taking. (Yes, I wrote this already once.)