Trip Report #
This was a unique trip. It was simultaneously full of familiar favorites—multiple trips around the Peoplemover—and exploding with experiments. There were a lot of new things I, personally, was planning to try on this trip. We went to Monsieur Paul’s and I ate food I’d never even heard of before. We tried the new restaurant at the Poly: the Wailulu Bar and Grill.
But the biggest experiment—the one that perforated upon my daily experiences—was a result of some research I’ve been engaging in. I’ve been studying Kibbe body types: a fashion system that is supposed to help you with how to dress for your body type. I’ve been working on a series for the blog detailing the Kibbe types and how to incorporate your type in what you pack for Disney—a series which has temporarily been put on hold, but more on that in a moment—and I experimented with my own recommendations over the course of this trip.
I packed all my clothes, ready to conduct my experiment. And then it was cold—I mean, not cold-cold, but FL cold. I ended up wearing my sweatshirts over all of it, so the experiment ended up not really happening.
On top of this, while getting dressed for Monsieur Paul’s, and looking at the outfit I had brought in the extremely excellent lighting provided by a bathroom in the Grand Flo, I found myself questioning my self-diagnosis for my Kibbe type. Long story short, I thought I was a Soft Classic when packing for Disney, but while there, I became convinced I was, in fact, not a Soft Classic.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any context of what that phrase means. What matters is that this sent me into a bit of a whirlwind. Soft Classic is actually the second Kibbe type I have thought I have in the last three months. Facing having it wrong again—and I’m really quite certain I do have it wrong—was enough to send me into a bit of a frustrated spiral.
I’m still not actually sure what my Kibbe type is—literally. In the time since our dinner at Monsieur Paul’s, I have literally toggled through thinking I was three different Kibbe types. I’m currently settled on one, but I’m letting it marinate—I’ve learned that’s something you evidently have to do with Kibbe types—and we’ll see how I feel about it in a few days.
Regardless, while this didn’t negatively impact our trip, per se, it was on my mind. In part, I found myself feeling like a phony—I’ve been composing these posts like a know-it-all, yet I got it wrong for myself—and that nagged at me. But in all honesty, being at Disney had a way of fundamentally not making it matter. At the end of the day, I had a blast, no matter where I was or what I was wearing. And that, in and of itself, was a result to the experiment.
In Review #
Food #
Food: Monsieur Paul’s was strange but fantastic—for the most part. If I had a “to do all over again,” I wouldn’t have done the wine pairing, or at the very least, I would’ve split it with Mitch. When we left the restaurant, I was that Epcot person that was clearly, visibly, not feeling well from drinking too much. The food was also very strange—not my typical style—but I tried it, and I’m proud of myself for that. Really, this was an experience for Mitch, the resident cook of our house, and he loved every second of it, so that alone was worth it. The restaurant in the Poly—the Wailulu Bar and Grill—was amazing. We had to join the walk-up list, because I believe they don’t take reservations, and it took about 30 minutes to get a table, but it was surprisingly tolerable to get a seat. And that burger… A vlogger we watched compared it to the Steakhouse 71 burger and said it was potentially even better. While I don’t know if I agree—they’re too different to compare, in my mind—it was nothing short of fantastic. This was a meal that was more my speed, and I loved every second of it!
Highlights #
Falling into a routine, especially at MK. It was so nice to just…do what we wanted when we wanted. Watching Happily Ever After from the dock of the Grand Flo. Riding the Peoplemover legitimately, like, four times.
Lessons learned #
We need to revisit our Lightening Lane plans for trips moving forward. We miss Genie +, especially on these short trips. On longer trips, Lightning Lanes are okay—you can get what you want a few days out—but on these shorter trips, it’s near impossible to get what you want when you want it. We like to split our park days—MK in the morning, Epcot in the afternoon, etc.—but it’s hard to park hop when you can’t buzz into your first one because they’re all booked out until the afternoon. So, we’ll be revisiting that in the future, especially for our weekend trips.
But the most important thing I think I learned? Maybe the Peoplemover really is my favorite ride in Disney World…