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I just got back from our trip late last night. So while it's still fresh on my mind, why not write a Trip Report?

First off, it was Hot and Humid. Apparently we had just missed 2 weeks of rain in the area, and in the six days we were there, not a rain cloud in sight. In fact, as we were waiting to board our return flight, the thunderstorms came back, which delayed our flight. I guess I can say we brought the sun with us from California, and were taking it back with us.

Using our DVC points we booked 5 nights at our Home Resort, the Polynesian Village. My wife and daughter (8yo) had stayed there before, but it's my first time there. It's a really nice island-themed resort. Check in was on Thursday the 20th. But we took the red-eye the night of the 19th. We arrived at our resort at 9am and jumped in the pool while we waited for our room to become available. Magical Express took care of our checked luggage while we changed into our swimsuits we had on our carry-ons.

After a quick lunch at Cap't Cook's I got a text alerting me that our room was ready (1pm). We had a lake-view studio overlooking Cinderella's Castle and Space Mountain from Magic Kingdom across the way. The only drawback from having a lake-view room was that it's close to the ferry which takes people from the Transportation Center to Magic Kingdom (MK), and the boat sounds its horns every time it leaves port. That's every 15 minutes or so. I tried to take a quick nap on our first day since we arrived on the red-eye, but it didn't work out very well for me. Any of us, really.

Good thing we didn't leave the resort that first day. On very little sleep, my daughter was getting increasingly cranky. We had dinner at Kona Cafe. I had the Char Siu Duck Ramen, and wife had the Alaskan King Crab Specialty Roll. The roll was good, the broth of the ramen was a little light on flavor. Back at the room, we enjoyed the MK fireworks show from our balcony. It was a great view!

Day 2 was Epcot Center. We took the monorail from our resort, around the lake through MK, a quick transfer at the Transportation Center, and into Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth and Soarin' Around the World. Loved Soarin'.

Since we are DVC members, we took a little break from the heat at their exclusive member lounge. My wife found this little hideaway last time she was there with my in-laws. From there it was off to the World Showcase. Unfortunately the sun was so overbearing that our enjoyment of the park faded quickly. We only visited 3 countries (Mexico, Norway, China) before calling it a day. The pool was really on our minds, so we did that until the wee hours.

Day 3 was Disney Springs. Originally planned to be an all-day resort day (read: Pool Day!), we decided to explore a bit first. When we got back I decided to take a short hike across the street to check out the golf courses. I didn't play, but I did get some Disney golf shirts and accessories from their pro shop.

Day 4 Animal Kingdom. We got there later in the day, knowing we wanted to stay past sundown to enjoy Pandora at night. Because it was another really hot day, I was afraid we were going to have to cut this visit short too, but I'm really glad we got through it. Especially because my Fastpass planning made us walk back and forth through the park (Kali River Rapids > Na'vi River Journey > Kilimanjaro Safaris). We couldn't get Fastpass for Avatar Flight of Passage, so we waited in the 80 minute long line (relatively short!).

It was so worth the wait.

If I loved Soarin' at Epcot. FoP just blew me away. I found myself clapping loudly after the lights came back up.

When we entered the ride, the sun was still up. We got out at night, with the world of Pandora glowing in full bloom. Satu'li Canteen at Pandora was surprisingly good.

Day 5 was back at Disney Springs. This time to watch Toy Story 4 at the AMC Dine-in Theater. And yes, back to the pool after... A recurring theme on this trip about which none of us were complaining.

Day 6 Check out day. But first, Character breakfast at 'Ohana Restaurant. Lilo, Stitch, and Mickey visited our tables while Pluto greeted everyone at the entrance.

The resort airline check-in process was painless. We dropped off our checked luggage before breakfast, and I didn't see them until baggage claim at LAX. And Magical Express brought us back to the airport with enough time to enjoy a quick bite and last minute shopping before the flight.

Despite the hot and humid weather and the occasional grumpiness that came from it, we had a really amazing vacation. I can't wait for our next trip.