Well hey everyone!! I’m back with another post chronicling our May/June 2025 trip to Walt Disney World.
Day 3, y’all. We are actually one-quarter of the way through the trip at this point. Which means…
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We still have 9 more days.
Come on guys.
And I can’t wait to dive into Day 3 because, while we don’t go to a park in a traditional sense, we do go to a park of a different kind. And we check into a pretty epic resort, a resort that we will be staying at for the rest of the trip.
It’s exciting stuff.
But before we get into it, I am a man of my word. I have to give a huge shout out to WENDY!!! Who answered every question in the Pixar trivia I posted from Old Key West last post. As a reminder, here were the questions:
For those wondering, the answers were:
- Toy Story
- Waste Allocation Load Lifter- Earth class
- Hockey
- Dug
But nice job Wendy! You did it. And you won a legit shout out!
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Sorry, my crew put the wrong picture up. But eh, you get the gist.
Nice work, Wendy!
That was fun. Maybe I will try to sprinkle in more challenges in future posts. Would y’all like that?
OK, let’s get on with Day 3!!!
Oh wait also?? I wanna remind you guys again – you gotta check out Myles’s YouTube channel as he is vlogging this trip too!! Here is the one that covers Day 3:
Our 2025 “Celebrating Everything” Walt Disney World Trip: Day 3
Good day. And welcome to Day 3.
Day 3 began, at least for Nickie and Larissa, at around 7:30. Those two decided to take a little walk around the resort. And Nickie managed to take a way better picture of the pool than I did at any point on Day 2.
Myles and Owen, meanwhile, DID NOT start their day at the same time.
But yeah, Nickie and Larissa stopped off at Good’s to Go on their morning constitutional. And Nickie, being the incredible wife she is, carried this hot cup of coffee back to me, which I enjoyed out on the balcony.
It was gonna be a beautiful day for sure.
Oooh, look how fun.
We were living dangerously fo sho.
I was also obvs feeling all kinds of artistic because I took this through one of the balcony slats.
Oh sorry. I forgot to mention I was friggin Ansel Adams.
Since we were going to be switching resorts AGAIN, we had to call up Bell Services to take our luggage over to our next resort. They came pretty quick, loaded up the golf cart, and took us over with them since we were having breakfast at the resort.
As this was our last day at Old Key West, we definitely had to make sure to stop by Olivia’s Café, since they haz the good food.
When we checked in, the hostess told us the fryer was not working today so they were on a limited menu.
But I mean, specifically? This meant they weren’t offering fried chicken. Which is, like, something Olvia’s is known for you guys.
They did give us the option of cancelling our reservation with no penalty if we wanted, but eh – we were already there and there were still some good options available. Right? Right.
These three were fine with it.
I started off with a coffee and a water…
…and that was all I got to drink because HA NAH. Bloody Mary.
Haha, I have such a problem you guys. So funny.
A few people ended up going with the Mickey Waffles (Served with Scrambled Eggs and Choice of Bacon or Sausage).
Which were obviously good. I mean, they were Mickey Waffles, man.
I also snapped a pic of Larissa’s Crab Cakes Benedict (Poached Eggs and Crab Cakes on a Buttermilk Biscuit with Key Lime Hollandaise served with Olivia’s Breakfast Potatoes), which she said she loved. T
And I went with Olivia’s Breakfast (Two Eggs-Any Style, Olivia’s Potatoes, Buttermilk Biscuit and served with choice of Bacon or Sausage).
I opted for scrambled eggs and bacon. And those potatoes, you guys. So good. They’re like Potat-WHOAS. As in “WHOA, those are good potatoes.”
I also ordered a side of grits for the table to share. On account of I love the grits at Olivia’s.
I also love ordering grits so I can tell people to kiss them.
Just kidding. I didn’t tell anyone to do that. But it would have been cool if I did, right?
Overall though, even in spite of a lack of frying things, it was a lovely breakfast at Olivia’s. Also, I should mention Myles had to duck out a little early so he could head over to meet up with Hannah at the Polynesian so she could drop her bags off and meet up with us over at Typhoon Lagoon.
I just spoiled so much.
Mindwipe.
Maybe this bathroom fit-check selfie will help you forget.
Why yes that IS a Mickey Mouse Co-ord. And I know. I am a snack and a half.
And don’t get all freaked. There was no one else in the bathroom.
That co-ord btw was a birthday gift from the Falzones. You ever open a gift and immediately feel like the people who gave it to you know you incredibly well?
Yeah, that was how I felt when I opened this whole situation.
And thing was a perfect fit for the day we had in front of us.
Eh I already spoiled things so I might as well just say it – we were going to Typhoon Lagoon!
And since, if you’re using Disney transportation, you have to switch at Disney Springs, it was time to hop on the boat from Old Key West. So down to the docks we went.
While we were waiting for our boat, both Nickie and Larissa noticed they both had matching cuts on their legs. Like same spot right near their ankles. And legit just like blood. Chillin.
I stick by my theory that they were abducted by aliens during their morning walk for cloning purposes. In this universe, there exists a planet of just Larissas and Nickies. I assume that planet is currently experiencing a white wine shortage.
They be drinkin wine y’all.
10:30AM: Ooh the boat’s here.
I think, of all the Disney transportation (monorail, bus, skyliner, Minnie Vans), boat remains my favorite way to get around. It’s like an attraction in and of itself. Look at us. We’re on a boat.
What a load of seamen we are.
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What?
Oh, sorry.
Seamen and Seawomen.
Was a nice day out on the Sassagoula today.
Disney Springs came into view at about 10:45.
Now, we took the boat this morning knowing full well we would have to walk through Disney Springs to get to the busses. If we had taken the bus over, we would have been right there. But we all wanted to take the boat and honestly, didn’t mind a little walk to work off breakfast.
So let’s walk through Disney Springs y’all.
We were at the bus stop by around 11:15 and look – THE BUS!!!
And a short bus ride later, we arrived!!!
It was around 11:30 at this point so from getting on the boat at Old Key West to Typhoon Lagoon took about an hour all in – that’s boat, walk, and bus. Not bad actually. And it was a really relaxing way to get there honestly.
Now. The reason we were at Typhoon Lagoon today is because Walt Disney World is currently running a special where, if you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort, you get free admission to a water park on the first day of your reservation. And today we are officially checking into our hotel for the rest of the trip so, like, free water slides.
And yeah, technically given we had stayed at two other different resorts over the past couple days, we could have actually done this over the past couple days too but eh, we had a Tim Robinson movie to see. So.
Anyway, right. Typhoon Lagoon.
It was like 11:30 at this point so chairs were like hard to come by.
Such a relaxing day at the beach, right?
Place looked like Amity Island.
We did end up finding like one chair where we could stash our stuff. And we all made straight for the wave pool. It took a little while but eventually the waves started up and guys, those waves are ridic.
Oh, and I almost died that day. I made the incredibly smart decision to swim all the way out and, like, once the wave washed over me, I immediately wanted to get out of the deep end but as I tried to swim back, I was blocked by a literal wall of people and saw no easy way back. I started to panic a little bit and even treading water became difficult. I did eventually make it back to where I could touch the bottom but I was like ready to be pushing kids out of the way like…
It was a harrowing experience, you guys.
Harrowing, I say.
Speaking of harrowing, WHAT HAPPENED TO HANNAH’S AND MYLES’S FINGERS!!!!
All I can see is their thumbs and pin…
Oh.
Wait sorry.
I’m being told they have simply put those fingers down to exhibit what is known a “Hang ten.”
Ha silly me.
But yeah look – Myles and Hannah are here now.
OK so yeah – this was Typhoon Lagoon which meant I didn’t really carry my phone with me all day. Which also meant there aren’t a ton of like…pictures.
But I will try my best to paint a vivid picture of what we did.
After Myles and Hannah arrived, we went on some water slides.
It really feels like you were there right?
OK fine, some more details. A few of us – me, Myles, Hannah, Owen, Mia – went off to check out some of the body slides while Nickie, Tony, and Larissa chilled out at the Let’s Go Slurpin’ bar near the wave pool.
And I dunno. They were fun, I guess?
After that though, the five of us headed back to Let’s Go Slurpin’ to chill for a bit.
And by “chill” I mean “drink.”
I ordered this. Which may be a Mai Tai?
Yeah lets go with Mai Tai. I can’t fully remember. Pfft, I mean, maybe that “alcohol hurts your memory” thing was actually true?
Eh I dunno. Probably not.
Anyway.
I ordered this. Which may be a Mai Tai?
What?
Hey look at us. So happy.
While we were there, the kids also grabbed some smoothies and big-as-your-head donuts at the Joffrey’s stand next door.
After this respite? Tony and Larissa joined our slide-sliding crew (Nickie is not the biggest of water slide fans) and we all got in line for a ride on Crush n’ Gusher, which Disney describes as a coaster-like raft ride.
Again, no picture. But it was fun. And when we got off, Nickie was in the pool waiting for us! Which is like the best ending for a ride ever.
On account of she’s pretty.
But that was kind of it for water slides. At this point it was around 2:30ish so we decided to have a late lunch at Leaning Palms.
And um, I think this was our first use of a dining plan credit? Yeah guys we were doing the dining plan on this trip. The dining plan is back baby.
For those that don’t know, the current iteration of the Walt Disney World Dining Plan comes in two flavors – the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan. Which is an odd choice. Why is one just called “Dining Plan” when technically they are both dining plans? I feel like its some sort of Jedi Mind Trick.
That we completely fell for. On account of we went with the “Disney Dining Plan.” But here is what’s included in the dining plan per night of your Disney resort stay:
- 1 Quick-Service Meal
- 1 Table-Service Meal
- 1 Snack
You also get a resort refillable drink mug. And each meal includes a beverage…and for guests over 21 (of which I am), that includes an alcoholic drink. So yeah, free drink. That I paid a lot of money for!
So yeah – we attached a dining plan to the rest of our stay. We could do that since we were moving to a new hotel today. We actually even have another dining plan attached to a later part of our stay. While we are staying at the same resort for the rest of the trip, we are actually under multiple reservations there.
Anyway, right – this was our first use of a credit because we paid out of pocket for Olivia’s on account of we had some experiences coming up that require two table service credits and credits can carry over day-to-day.
It’s confusing, I know. But that’s a Disney World trip these days. Confusing.
And expensive magical!
Whoa. Wait. I didn’t make that correction. They must be watching.
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I love you Disney.
To Leaning Palms!!
For lunch, I went with a beer and a Barbecue Chicken Flatbread (Topped with an insane amount of Pickled Onions and Pesto Sauce).
And actually? It was pretty good. I mean, I def had to scrape off some of those onions. Like, that’s a lot of onions man. I was all, hey who ordered the ogre pizza?
Amirite??
You know.
YOU know.
Because.
Hilarious.
I also snapped a picture of Nickie’s Angus Cheeseburger (Angus Burger topped with American Cheese, Lettuce, and Tomato on a Brioche Bun served with French Fries).
And Owen’s Shrimp Rice Bowl (Rice with Pigeon Peas, Roasted Corn and Peppers, Sweet Plantains, and Green Onions).
Both of which they really liked.
I dunno – I was pretty surprised at the food here. I have had some bad experiences with Walt Disney World waterpark food in the past, but this was all pretty good man.
After lunch, the Falzones headed out to get back to the resort and settled. The rest of us took a spin around the Lazy River before heading out. Of which I have no pictures.
Such a great blog! Said no one.
Once we finished up in the lazy river, we walked on out of the park and to the bus stop.
All in all, it was a pretty chill day at Typhoon Lagoon. Well, except for almost literally dying. But like other than that? Super fun.
As was the case when we arrived this morning, we had to grab a bus first to Disney Springs and then make the switch to head to our resort.
And while this morning made for a really nice ride on the boat from Old Key West, this bus ride was also an exciting one. Since we were heading to a new resort. A resort that we would be in for the rest of the trip. We were heading to…
Yup, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort!
AHHHH SO EXCITING.
Look how excited Hannah is!
We were in the lobby by 5:15!
And when we were checking in, not only did we get the standard-issue leis, but they also gave Nickie and I pins to celebrate how much we enjoy each other’s company!
And look, they wrote “ears” where someone else might put “years.” No notes.
Our building for this adventure was Tokelau.
TOKELAU.
Unlike at Old Key West, we were staying in a Studio this time around, which meant all 5 of us were in one room.
Crazy.
But let’s check it out.
Here’s mine and Nickie’s bed. Where all the magic happens.
And by “magic,” I mean “dreams.” Dreams are magic you guys.
Here’s the main living area.
And that wall behind that couch folds niftily out into a double bed as well, which was where Myles and Hannah were gonna be.
And look at this incredz picture close-up. I want this for every room of my house.
And there was also a super cute Lilo & Stitch picture on this pull-out bed where Owen would be sleeping.
So yeah, there’s your five people. Plenty of room.
The nice thing about a studio at the Poly is that you actually get two showers/sinks here. You get one tub/shower combo and sink in the bathroom where you do toilet-y things.
And there’s this super cute picture in there.
Quick aside – When the mermaids say, “we were only trying to drown her” in Peter Pan, that is such a savage hit.
Ruthless.
And you get another fancy pants rain shower and sink in another room right next to it.
And of course we had a balcony you guys. With a view of trees. And also path.
Oh and look – the TV was so excited to see us!
And one more cool thing was we had an adjoining room with the Falzones. Look!
So fun, right?
But yeah, I mean for a Studio, the Polynesian does it pretty right. The one main complaint I have about these rooms is the lack of storage. Obviously, there are no drawers under the TV since there was an Owen there and there is really no, like, chest of drawers anywhere. You have two drawers under the main bed and obvs a closet. And then some shelves kind of here and there.
It’s just super easy to run out of space quick in there. I ended up calling the front desk for like a dozen more hangers just so we all had somewhere to put all of our clothes.
That’s a small complaint though. It’s a really pretty resort and a very nice, well-themed room.
We spent some time unpacking and getting settled, showering and what not. And as we were getting ready for dinner, it started to pour outside.
And while dinner was at our resort tonight, it still was a walk outside to get to the main building. But we are all very tough. I don’t know if you know that. So we handled it just fine.
We were at the main building and checked in by 7:50.
By like 7:55, we were called! And tonight’s dinner was at ‘Ohana.
Which I will be honest – has been more miss than hit lately. ‘Ohana used to be a must-do every trip for us. And then COVID hit and it just hadn’t felt the same since. But we were at the Polynesian. It felt like we HAD to do ‘Ohana.
So what will tonight bring? Will it feel like the ‘Ohana of old? Or will it continue it’s descent into suckitude?
Come with me and find out.
I will say – things started out pretty great. We were seated off in the corner at this big round table with a view of the castle.
And our plan tonight in having such a late dinner was to hopefully see the Magic Kingdom’s Happily Ever After Nighttime Spectacular from our table, so this was def the right table. The weather, though. The weather was looking iffy so fireworks were definitely going to be a game-time situation.
Our waiter came over and took our drink orders. Then at around 8:15, he brought out the first course of the night – a Mixed Greens Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette and some warm ‘Ohana Bread with Honey Butter.
Ooh yah that butter. Oh man was that some good butter. I couldn’t get enough of that nonsense. Like, my bread and butter was close to 50% butter because every bite I took? I re-buttered.
Stuff was like like butter. Mike Myers. SNL.
The bread and salad were also real good. I should also probably give a run down of how ‘Ohana works before we go any further. So how it works is that it’s an all-you-care-to-enjoy situation where they bring all the food to your table.
That’s kind of the rules you guys. Let’s move on.
Oh look. My drink arrived.
I got a Backscratcher (Bacardí Superior Rum, Plantation Original Dark Rum, and Guava-Passion Fruit Juice topped with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey). And thing comes with a bamboo backscratcher.
TBH, I typically go for the Lapu Lapu here. You know, the drink served in the pineapple. But I kind of am digging the Backscratcher situation. I’ve gotten it before but I think it’s become my favorite drink at the Polynesian. The addition of the whiskey on top of the rum adds a nice kick. Plus, thing comes with a backscratcher. I mean, what am I gonna do with a pineapple?
Live in it?
Under the sea???
Spongebob Squarepants?????
Plus, on the dining plan, you can order a Lapu Lapu as your free drink but it only comes in a regular cup, not a pineapple. So what’s the point. But yeah, I am kind of messing with the Backscratcher now.
That all being said, though? I do get multiple Lapu Lapus in the coming days. Variety is the spice of alcoholism.
That’s what my granddad used to say.
What can I say? It runs in my family.
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Wisdom, I mean. Wisdom runs in my family.
OK so at around 8:30, the next course came. Some would say this one right here is the best course.
Up there, we got a skillet filled with Honey Coriander Wings, Pork Dumplings tossed in Garlic-Chili Sauce, ‘Ohana Noodles with Mirin-Teriyaki, and Stir-Fried Vegetables.
Oh man. That’s a pan.
Honestly, everything was rull good in there. But if I had to rank them? I’d go Noodles, Dumplings, Wings, Vegetables. But that’s not knocking any part of that whole situation. Everyone’s pulling their weight in that skillet.
And the nice thing is you can ask for more of anything you might want. Which is good for me.
On account of I have an eating problem.
That runs in my family.
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Self-awareness. Self-awareness runs in my family.
At 9:00 PM, out came the main course.
Up there, we have some Peel-n-Eat Shrimp coated with ‘Ohana Seasoning, Grilled Chicken with Guava-Pineapple Glaze, and Wood Fire-grilled Black Pepper-Mirin-Teriyaki Beef.
‘Ohana.
They have the meats.
This was really where ‘Ohana has fallen short in the past. Specifically, the steak and the shrimp have both let me down before. But tonight, everything kind of hit. I mean, the steak isn’t like steakhouse steak or anything, but it was pretty good. I will say, pro tip – we did ask for them to cook it medium to medium-rare for us if they could so that might have helped. On prior visits, they have been known to overcook their steak.
Oh you want another ranking? Shrimp, Steak, Chicken.
Again though, all good.
Oh and I bet you real observant readers noticed the bread in the upper right corner of that picture up there and maybe you were wondering, “Wait, you still had bread left?” And you’d be right to wonder that. But Owen, in a brilliant move, ordered more bread in the middle of the meal.
That kid. Legit genius.
But wait, there’s more.
Dessert arrived at like 9:23.
That there is the famous ‘Ohana Bread Pudding, served A la Mode with Homemade Caramel Sauce. This stuff has never been a problem at ‘Ohana. Stuff has always hit. But tonight – it wasn’t as good as it used to be. The pudding was a tad dry. It was still very good and I had a generous helping of it, but it wasn’t as good as I remembered it.
Still a solid dessert tho.
Now, I am sure you’ve noticed I have been time-stamping this meal. Reason being that Happily Ever After was scheduled to start at 9:20. But like I said, that bread pudding arrived at 9:23. And still, no fireworks. The rain was still coming down pretty heavy.
And while it wasn’t looking good for fireworks tonight, the rain was kind of nice. It was super cozy feeling. I mean, the rain was coming down all around us pretty much since we were in a corner surrounded by windows. It was all the vibes with the dark of the restaurant, the quiet of our little corner, and the rain pelting the windows outside.
That picture was taken at 9:30. It was looking kind of unlikely we were gonna be seeing fireworks. So we asked our waiter for our check.
And then, at like 9:35. The lights dimmed. And the familiar music started playing in the dining room. And then…
Magical.
Legit magical.
‘Ohana did it tonight you guys. They kind of hit hard at every stage. Table. Food. Drinks. Company. Vibes. Everything was on point. What an awesome kick off to our stay at the Polynesian.
After dinner, we walked back to our room and the kids went out to fill their refillable mugs real quick before bed.
But that’s kind of it. That was Day 3. And what an awesome day, right?
Well, get excited for Day 4. Because it’s our first day at an actual park.
Get.
Excited.
See you then!
Last post – Day 2!
Next post – Day 4!
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