9 Days Poly CL DxDP...Too Much Food???...Too Much Fun!!!...1600 Pictures

[kstatefamily]

Loving your report...We too loved Ohana for breakfast. It was the one meal that our daughter would actually let the non-face characters come near her. Go figure. We had to buy a "Stitchy" at the gift shop after breakfast.

Would LOVE to stay at the Poly someday, but the husband has declared this to be the last trip to Disney He thinks there are too many other places to see...if only we didn't have to fly everywhere.

 

[amyrella]

yay i loooved the breakfast with lilo and stitch the last time i went!! and now i will always make it one of my adrs!! it was sooo good!!!!!

yay i dont know i fi can make it another 300+ days!!! ahhhh

 

[hstrickland]

Loved your Ohana pictures! We ate breakfast there on our departure day last September. Our family had a great time.

We will be at the Poly this September for the first time. I also love rope drop and being able accomplish so much before the crowds. Do you have any MK transportation tips for me? I am very excited since this will be our first trip staying at a monorail resort. We are used to riding the buses to the parks.

Thank you

Y'all are going to love the Poly!!! The transportation is great...well, except for the buses...not that they were terrible. The boats ran very frequently. Going to the MK, the boat goes straight there. Coming back from the MK, it stopped at the GF then went to the Poly. You really can't beat the monorail, though! Super quick to MK. Going to EP was really easy, too. We ALWAYS walked to the TTC. From the Hawaii longhouse it took us 10mins at the most....not bad at all! When we returned from EP, we always walked back, too. One day DH tried to beat me and took the monorail back and I walked. I won...by a lot! The buses were not terrible, but not super speedy. The bus also goes by the CR first, then comes to the Poly. So, if it happens to be busy, you might be standing on the bus OR have to wait for a couple before you actually get on.
Will you have a car while you are there? We did have our car (only live 4 1/2 hours away). When we ate at Whispering Canyon, we drove to WL. But when we ate at Yachtsman's Steakhouse, we jumped on the boat to MK, then took a bus to the YC...that was really nice...not having to ride several buses just to get to one place. The Poly has really spoiled us as far as the transportation options go...we had 2 strollers, so you can imagine how nice the monorail was!!! Be warned.......the Poly will spoil you for life!!!

 

[ctalley]

Thank you for the tips! Yes, I am afraid the Poly will spoil us especially me. The transportation options to the MK is one of the big reasons I chose the Poly. Besides the fact that I have always dreamed of staying there.

Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

 

[mulley16]

I just love reading your TR! Our family will be staying at Poly for the first time at the end of August. We've never stayed on-site with our kids before so our excitement is really building. My oldest daughter (8) has enjoyed looking at your pics with me. Love seeing all the activities that your kids did that ours will be doing very soon - BBB, Pirates, Ohana breakfast, etc. Can't wait to hear how the luau is - we've been on the fence about booking that ADR for the family. Not sure if my DS age 4 would enjoy it?

 

[hstrickland]

I just love reading your TR! Our family will be staying at Poly for the first time at the end of August. We've never stayed on-site with our kids before so our excitement is really building. My oldest daughter (8) has enjoyed looking at your pics with me. Love seeing all the activities that your kids did that ours will be doing very soon - BBB, Pirates, Ohana breakfast, etc. Can't wait to hear how the luau is - we've been on the fence about booking that ADR for the family. Not sure if my DS age 4 would enjoy it?

You are really going to enjoy staying onsite, especially at the Poly! The resort is more pricey than others, but IMO so very worth it with younger children. The location can't be beat!!! I was just telling my DH how hard it would be to stay in another resort. Did y'all request a certain Longhouse or will you just see what happens?

I will be doing a TR of the Luau and posting pictures. DH and I did not actually go. My parents took the 3 children while we went to California Grill. Kinda wish we had gone just to see it...have always wanted to see the Luau. Of course Cali Grill is outstanding and certainly not sad that we tried that restaurant. All 3 of our children loved the Luau and the performance.

Y'all will have such a wonderful time at WDW!

 

[hstrickland]

After a great breakfast at Ohanas, we headed to MK via monorail. Have I mentioned how wonderful the monorail is when you have 2 strollers??!!! I think I've said that a 1000 times, so what's one more. I so wish the monorail went to ALL resorts!!!

When we arrived at MK, the crowd was already there, but not too bad. The kids had been dying to ride the Teacups....minus me, of course!

This is one ride that DH, grandpa and I sat out on!!! Grandma was given the task of riding this. WARNING to all those who get just a little motion sickness....DO NOT RIDE!!!

Fortunately grandma was in great condition when she exited the ride.

And what visit to WDW is complete without a turn on ......

Any Disney lover knows where this picture was taken!.....It's a Small World! My mother and I love this ride....DH not so much. He always makes a big joke about it. Deep down, though, he really enjoys it. This ride always brings back so many childhood memories for me.

Another simple, but delightful ride....everyone enjoyed this except grandpa...he took the pictures.

Don't ya just love it when your kids are ALL smiles!

While DH and grandma were riding Space Mountain.....

(here we go again making pictures of pictures!)

....we were riding the oh so famous Indy Cars! Is this the "old" name of this ride??? Wasn't it called that years ago

The ONLY reason we ride this is because of DS8....he loves it! Me???.....ummm....no. But we are at Disney for the kids! We also rode the "People Mover"....I still call it this...believe it or not it's one of my favorite rides, and again...brings back so many memories as a child.

On our way out of the park, we happened to run into the Dance Party that was going on around the castle. Does anyone know what it was called?

It was getting super hot and we had lunch ressies at Kona, so we just made a couple of pictures, watched a little, then went on. The people that were participating looked like they were having a blast.

Now...if you are staying at the Poly or GF, the boat is usually the best way back from the MK. I say usually...if it's raining, it might not be a good choice There are typically 2 boats running, so the wait is never long and the ride on the boat is very relaxing.

We had reservations at .......

1pm reservations

Now...you will get mixed reviews on this restaurant...from great to terrible. I'm always one that will try something at least one time, then make a judgment.

The food, which you will see below was really, really good!!! This is our second time dining at Kona's...food has been outstanding both times.

Appetizers....Lump Blue Crab Cakes....Yummmmmmm! I can't tell you how many times I ate crab cakes in 9 days!!

Kona salad, again...very good

Children's meal...the basic meal...nothing outstanding, but sufficent

Main course....Fish Tacos (not a great picture...sorry!) Tasty!!!

Teriyaki Fried Steak with pineapple salsa...another tasty choice!

Island Chicken Sandwich....pretty good!

Okay.....WARNING....complaints ahead!!

Now...the food was really good, as it was last time we ate here. BUT....thank goodness we were not in a hurry! The service was soooooooooo slow!!! Holy cow!!! The poor waiter was not in a hurry! We were in Konas around an hour and a half just for lunch. And again, we had no where to go except the pool, but come on.....1 1/2 hours for lunch. AND it was not crowded, so we were a little surprised with the service. We ate dinner there on a previous trip and the service was slow, but nothing in comparision to this. Could have just been our waiter.

On to dessert!!!!!! Would you like to know how much weight we gained in 9 days while consuming the DxDP???? Not going to tell you

Have you seen a similar picture on my TR???....can you guess what this is?

Creme Brulee!! Just heavenly!

Not sure what this was called....outstanding!!!! Something with bananas in it!

And check out the kids dessert! WDW does such a great job with this! Our kids loved making their own Sundays!

So, the big question....would we return to Kona Cafe??????? The answer.....YES! We love the food! Just make sure you are not in a hurry

Stay tuned for more.....Le Ceiler for dinner at Epcot!

 

[mdrob214]

I think we have similar dining tastes--I could eat creme brulee at every WDW meal, too! And just when I'd definitely decided to keep Kona breakfast, I see your lunch and am wondering if I should switch--again.

 

[hstrickland]

I think we have similar dining tastes--I could eat creme brulee at every WDW meal, too! And just when I'd definitely decided to keep Kona breakfast, I see your lunch and am wondering if I should switch--again.

We didn't do Kona breakfast, but heard the Tonga Toast is awesome....should have just to see what all the hype was about. Lunch was really tasty, just wish the service would have been better. The place was not crowded at all so we could not figure out what the deal was. I really think we just happened to get a bad waiter. When we were there last October for dinner the service was slow but nothing in comparison to lunch. I would even be tempted to go back just for dessert and coffee....that's how good those desserts were!!!! IMO, the creme brulee is some of the best at Disney. Of course I haven't found any brulee at Disney that has been bad! My kids are even hooked on it now.

Have a great time on your upcoming trip!!! I know y'all will have a blast.

 

[bsredfish]

LeCeiler is my favorite! Great pictures!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Nice update! The service was really slow when we ate at Kona too. We joked that it was an authentic Hawaiian experience! (No one is ever in a hurry in Hawaii!)

I like your camera too. Even though you say the night shots aren't good, I think they are!

 

[mulley16]

You are really going to enjoy staying onsite, especially at the Poly! The resort is more pricey than others, but IMO so very worth it with younger children. The location can't be beat!!! I was just telling my DH how hard it would be to stay in another resort. Did y'all request a certain Longhouse or will you just see what happens?

I will be doing a TR of the Luau and posting pictures. DH and I did not actually go. My parents took the 3 children while we went to California Grill. Kinda wish we had gone just to see it...have always wanted to see the Luau. Of course Cali Grill is outstanding and certainly not sad that we tried that restaurant. All 3 of our children loved the Luau and the performance.

Y'all will have such a wonderful time at WDW!

Good news about the luau because we have just booked it - looking forward to seeing your pics of it! My DH and I will also be trying the California Grill. No grandparents traveling with us this time so we'll also be trying the Neverland Club for the first time. DD 8 isn't sure about this but DD 6 and DS 4 think it sounds fun. Crossing my fingers on that one!

I requested Tokelau on my reservation - it seemed centrally located and I read some good things about it on the boards. We have a GV so not expecting much more than greenery for our view. I also requested third floor, but I may change this to first floor. Any advice on this is appreciated!

Can't wait to read your next installment!

 

[beachgirl2000]

I am really enjoying your trip report -- you are doing such a great job! Thank you so much for sharing it with us -- I cannot wait to get there in a few more months -- And it will be our first time at Ohana -- Now I am really excited!

 

[hstrickland]

LeCeiler is one of our favorite restaurants! I'm looking forward to hearing your review and looking at your pictures. You guys made some excellent shots. What type of camera do you have?

We bought a Nikon D5000 several months back. Got a super deal on one! I have been bound and determined to learn to use it. I'm in the process...it's gonna take me months to learn everything there is to learn. Oh well...just time, right? Perhaps by our next Disney trip, I will have it down

Nice update! The service was really slow when we ate at Kona too. We joked that it was an authentic Hawaiian experience! (No one is ever in a hurry in Hawaii!)

I like your camera too. Even though you say the night shots aren't good, I think they are!

"Authentic Hawaiian Experience"....maybe I should edit my TR and put that in there?! DH and I laughed when we read that! I guess that would be a positive spin on the service at Kona....thanks!!

And thank you, too, for the compliments on the pics. I would love to go back to Disney with no kids and just walk around the resorts taking pictures, preferably early in the morning when the sun is coming up. Wish I knew how all these people get such great night shots! They obviously have much more camera knowledge than me and perhaps a great lens.

 

[TheFairestOfThemAll]

AWESOME PICS!!!

 

[hstrickland]

It's already time for ANOTHER meal! Can you believe it? You would think that my family would be sick and tired of yet another restaurant ....WRONG! Didn't I tell you that we love to eat on vacation?!

Once again, we took a short walk to the TTC and jumped on the monorail. This is one of the reasons we fell in love with the Poly....so convenient. After a short ride via monorail we were at.....

Would you believe that my DS8 loves this park!!! There really is lots to do for kids his age....Soarin, Test Trak, Mission Space, The Land...I could go on. We decided to take a ride in "The Big Ball"....that's what DS3 calls it....Space Ship Earth.

While waiting one of our family members, the kids were getting pretty bored sitting.......can you tell??? Sitting is not an option at Disney for my children!

So while we passed the time, these two insisted on me taking silly pictures....this is something DS8 and DD4 love doing....anything to keep them occupied for a few minutes, right?

Finally, we can walk over to Canada for dinner!....7pm reservation

If you ever have time to walk around outside of LeCellier, you should! They have the most beautiful gardens.

This is really one of those places at Epcot that might go overlooked. Everything in the gardens are so perfectly placed and landscaped.

Have you noticed that DH, DD4 and DS3 are not in these pictures??? Poor DH was having to chase the 2 little ones around....they were acting like crazy people. Thank goodness they calmed down before dinner! This is not exactly the kind of restaurant that you take loud and obnoxious children

Here is grandpa (otherwise known as Pop) and DS8 ready to eat a BIG steak! These guys are two peas in a pod!!! DS8 loves his Pop!

I wish I had made more pictures inside the restaurant, but I didn't...and not sure why??? The food was outstanding as always!!!! Appetizers were wonderful....

Potato Cheese Soup.....delicious!!

Sauteed Prince Edward Island Mussles....excellent!!!

Main Course....obviously we had steak
Mushroom Filet Mignon.....ummmmmmmmm good!!!!

Another steak (not filet) but don't remember the cut....sorry! also super tasty!

And would you believe there are not pictures of our dessert!? But I'll give you one guess as to what I ate??????...........You guessed it!....Maple Creme Brulee! Once again, outstanding.

We had some of the best service here at LeCellier!!! The waitress was actually in training, but unbelievable. Actually the other few times that we have eaten here in the past, the service was great, too. Great food and great service....really can't be beat. BUT....I do hear that this restaurant will be 2 table services in the very near future Oh well....guess if this happens, perhaps it won't be as hard to get in.

Did I tell you how super easy it is to return to the Poly??!!! Jump on the monorail and head to the TTC and you are basically at the Poly....only a short walk away.

When we returned to our room, we had turndown service once again! The kids loved going in to see what Mousekeeping had done with their animals.

Club Level really spoiled us.....they were great!!...Think I've said that before

Stay tuned...up next...dining with the princesses at Akershus!

 

[Zuzu03]

Heather - I'm so glad to hear that Le Cellier was good, that's our very first evening ADR! I'm excited but I hope DH can find something to eat here, he has a bit of an aversion to steak! (I know, right???) Anyway, your pics are adorable, the pics of the kids on the wall are so cute -reminds me of DD when she was young and would make silly faces for the camera! Adorable!!! Can't wait to hear about the next meal ( I just love how your progress is charted by mealtimes - sounds just like us!).

 

[amyrella]

umm... that food looks sooo good!!! i'm going to have to eat there!!

can't wait to hear what your final thoughts are on the DxDP!! i'm having a dilemma iwth whether or not to do that! decisions decisions...

 

[mom2red]

I am really enjoying reading your trip report. Can you tell me the times of your dining reservations? Thanks!

 

[hstrickland]

Good news about the luau because we have just booked it - looking forward to seeing your pics of it! My DH and I will also be trying the California Grill. No grandparents traveling with us this time so we'll also be trying the Neverland Club for the first time. DD 8 isn't sure about this but DD 6 and DS 4 think it sounds fun. Crossing my fingers on that one!

I requested Tokelau on my reservation - it seemed centrally located and I read some good things about it on the boards. We have a GV so not expecting much more than greenery for our view. I also requested third floor, but I may change this to first floor. Any advice on this is appreciated!

Can't wait to read your next installment!

I'm anxious to see how you like the Luau...so many mixed reviews. My kids loved it, my mom did, too, but my dad said it was just okay. DS8 said it was the coolest....especially the fire dancing. I would really, really like to actually see it for myself....maybe next time. I'm sure your kids will love the Neverland Club. Maybe you can take lots of pictures of the place and do a full review. Would love to know the inside scoop!

As far as the Longhouses go and which floor to choose....you will hear 1000 different opinions. Many people swear by the 3rd floor. I have nothing but 1st floor experience. We really, really liked 1st floor. It was like having a big extension on our room. The kids could go out and play in the grass, we could take our chairs from the patio and sit in the grass...very nice. Also, I wake up fairly early, so I would slip out of the sliding door, walk around in front of the longhouse, take pictures then slip back in before my family was awake. Also, since we had connecting rooms with my parents, it was so nice for all of the family to be able to sit together outside and watch the fireworks or just sit out and talk. To be very honest, after walking around the grounds of the Poly, there doesn't seem to be a 'bad' view anywhere...the trees/shrubs/flowers are just beautiful. And it looks like you are right...Tokelau is VERY centrally located to everything. Have you checked out this website Tikiman? It will give you great info about each longhouse. You really can't go wrong with any longhouse nor any view IMO.