Back from HIFS March 1-8

[goofiesgirlies]

This is our second stay at HIFS and we love it. Had an excellent room "Disney" kidsuite and my DD-5 loved it.

Check-in was smooth and easy only waited for one other person at approximately 11:30 a.m. The only request I made while at check in was no 'clown' suite. (We had it last year and it scared the daylights out of my DD!) The young lady checking us in was very sweet and the only comment she made was, "I'll make sure you have something nice." She did a wonderful job! We had a Disneysuite/poolside with no mention of an added fee. The room was clean, and the maid service seemed very good each day as well.

Food - we ate lunch when we arrived the first day at the little A&W - food was fine but it took forever to get.

We ate the free breakfast buffet every morning except one when we went to Chef Mickey's. The breakfast was always hot, plentiful, filled well, and enough choices to make us happy. Well worth it! It saved us an incredible amount of time and money.

One comment to the other guests at the free breakfast buffet - there is no need to be pushy or rude while in line --or NOT waiting in line. There is enough food for all and we aren't a bunch of cattle that haven't eaten for days. I think a few people forget their manners while on vacation! Ok, off that soapbox!

Room Service - Horrible. We had Pizza Hut pizza delivered to our room one evening. They told us a half hour and it was more like an hour. The delivery person said the computers were down so he couldn't add the charge to our room, but he said if we wanted to "write our charge card # on a piece of paper he would take care of it." Yeah right. I wasn't born last night. He brought the wrong beverages and no utensils for DD kid meal that included applesauce. When he left we opened the pizza and it was all smooshed to one side like he had carried it book-style. Lovely.

The pool was wonderful. I think it was my DD favorite part of the vacation. She kept saying she didn't want to go back to winter! The water is heated, warm and very nice. It was quite busy as we had days in the upper 80's.

We love the 3 rooms with 3 TV's, free breakfast and great pool at HIFS. I have no problem recommending this hotel to anyone.

If you have any questions, let me know.

--Jn

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the report. I will be staying there for the first time in August. I'm wondering if you could elaborate on the food and the kids eat free program a bit.

- What kind of food do they have for lunch and dinner? I know there is a Pizza Hut, but what else do they offer?

- If my kids want pizza and I want something from another place, are their meals still free? Or do I have to buy something at Pizza Hut for them to eat free?

- What types of food were at the breakfast buffet? Was it the standard eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes , waffles , etc? Was it the same stuff everyday or did it vary? Did it matter what time you went (ie did they run out of things if you waited too long to get out of bed?)

- Is there a sit down restaurant and if so, do the kids eat free there as well?


Thanks for your help!

 

[nicolep91]

Thanks for all the great info!

I was also wondering if there is a "better" time to go to the buffet to avoid the rush. Do the majority of guests get their early (when it opens?) or is it busiest right before it's over/on the way to the parks? Any idea?

Thanks again!

 

[jd_mouse]

Question, goofiesgirlies:
How did you travel to and from parks...did you have a rental car or use the HIFS shuttles?
Did you do anything at any of the Disney Resorts (dinner, or just "checking stuff out"), and if so, how did you handle that, drive yourself and park, or some other means?

TIA!
Sounds like you had a great time!

 

[goofiesgirlies]

Let me see, I will try to answer as many questions as I can.

We rented a car so we didn't have to rely on the HIFS shuttle. It was very easy to drive to and from airport/parks/HIFS. We like the freedom to come and go when we like. One morning we went to Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. We drove there and if you have a PS for a meal the security guard will give you a parking pass good for 3 hours. After the breakfast we hopped the monorail to visit the Polynesian and Grand Floridian hotels. We just walked around and visited the little shops at the hotels.

As far as the fastfood part of HIFS. I believe they have Pizza Hut and A&W. They were both offered at one big long counter so I don't think it would be any problem if one wants a pizza and the other a burger. Your kids do have to be present in order to get the free lunch.

The other part of the restaurant is the buffet. Kids do eat free at the lunch/dinner buffet. We did not eat at either lunch/dinner buffet this time. Last time we did eat one dinner buffet and the food was fine - not gourmet but enough selections for everyone. Thinly carved roast beef, chicken, spaghetti, kiddie food area, etc.

We never went to the breakfast buffet at a certain time. It seemed the earlier you went the less busy it was. But regardless of time it was always well stocked and hot. The lines moved fairly quickly. My husband went really late one day and he said it was still fairly busy but the food was still hot and being refilled.

As for the selection at the free breakfast buffet, every day they had the following: oatmeal, grits, fresh fruit, canned fruit, yogurt, eggs, cold cereals. Things that were changed each day included: pancakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy, breakfast potatos, or tator tots. Meats varied each day from sausage links, bacon and ham. Toast and mini bagels were always available. Various days they offered mini muffins, mini powdered sugar donuts, regular cinnamon/plain donuts. Beverages included milk, chocolate milk, apple/orange juice, sodas, coffee.

The tables located next to the buffet lines were always filled. The best thing to do is to head out and look in other areas for a place to sit. Try by the little lake, the room where they have the evening activities, we even sat a couple times in the 'bar.' The bar was closed but the booths were available. You may have to look but we always found a seat.

If you haven't checked out their website it might be helpful
www.hifamilysuites.com

Let me know if I forgot anything.

Jn

 

[nicolep91]

Thanks again for all the info! It was very detailed and informative.

 

[Mike]

Thanks! You were very helpful.

 

[heart4dis]

How early did you get to breakfast and then how long (on the average) did it take you to get to the gate of each park? We are also planning to stay at HIFS and rent a mini-van (early Dec., not Christmas). I was planning on getting to the buffet as soon as it opened (7AM I think?) so we could get to the parks early enough. We like to be there before it opens.

 

[taylor1293]

Thanks for the great report! Glad you enjoyed HIFS again!

Teresa

 

[taylor1293]

Heart4dis,

You will have plenty of time to enjoy the breakfast buffet and get to the parks before they open.

If I remember correctly from last summer, from our room at HIFS to standing in line at AKL was less than 20 minutes. This included the drive, the park, and riding the tram up to the gate. To Blizzard Beach is was less than 10 minutes.

Teresa