First DVC Trip (as an owner) - Polynesian

[hockeydad21]

DVC Background: Bought into DVC back in late spring 2023, so have owned for just under a year. While we have stayed at Deluxe Hotels before and we've rented a DVC 1 bedroom before at Saratoga, this was truly our first stay for me and my wife as DVC owners.

Family: I am 36 years old, and was traveling with my wife (34), daughter (just turned 3), son (just turned 1), and in-laws (66).

Trip Length: 6 nights, Jan 22nd - 28th.

Rooms: I booked us 2 deluxe studios (standard view) with a request for connecting rooms in Tokelau. Wow! Talk about being pixie dusted! Not only did we get connecting rooms in Tokelau, but they put us 3rd floor in room 3914 and 3913, which give you partial lake views (photos attached). These are arguably the most sought after standard views at the Polynesian, and we were lucky enough to get them! The rooms themselves are beautiful, spacious, and work great for a family with young kids on a points budget given there is room for sleeping 5 comfortably. Arguably the best studios out of any DVC resort.

• Sleeping arrangements with the kids: wife and daughter in the dedicated queen bed, me in the queen murphy bed, and my son in a pack 'n' play in the bathroom with the rainfall shower. The murphy bed was extremely comfortable, which was a pleasant surprise to me. Also, the pack 'n' play for my son fit perfectly in that bathroom for any parents planning future trips with babies. He's 99% in height, and there was enough room on either side that he wasn't able to grab onto anything on the walls or sink if he were to stand up and reach for it. Being able to put him in the bathroom with a sound machine was a HUGE win because this little dude goes to sleep at least 90 minutes before the rest of us. This gave us plenty of freedom to continue enjoying our night with our daughter without disturbing the little guy.

The Resort: What's not to love about the Polynesian? It's beautiful, tropical landscaping makes it feel incredibly relaxing, yet incredibly fun all at the same time. Love how the Poly really embraces the 60s/70s tiki theme with some statues/carvings/fountains/torches while also finding a way to blend in modern furnishings in the rooms and around the resort. Glad to see you've kept the charm as you've updated her throughout the years. Well done Disney! The location is hard to beat with access to the resort monorail loop, the express Magic Kingdom loop via a quick walk to the transportation center, and the Epcot loop also via the transportation center. We utilized the monorails and boats a number of times that I'll touch on in a bit.

The Pools: Absolutely fantastic! Both have zero entry, which is great for having young kids. The lava pool (feature pool) was lots of fun for our 3 year old as she liked to participate in the kids' afternoon activities/games, and close enough for her to venture over to the kids' splash pad when she wanted. I had to do the water slide per my daughter's request, and I have to say it was good. While she's a little too small for the big slide, I can see her loving it in the coming years. Also, don't sleep on the quiet pool as it is fantastic if you're looking for more of a relaxed feel. We ventured here many times after lunch so our daughter could have some "quiet pool time" while my son took a nap in the stroller.

The Food: My wife and I love food, so bare with me....Overall I think the food is good to very good, especially for the price. My in-laws commented at how fair they thought the pricing was, and I couldn't agree more. Being that you're at Disney they could really overcharge if they wanted to, especially in the parks. Heck, going to McDonalds seems to cost $12 these days for 1 person, so an adult quick service meal for that price seems more than reasonable given that you get real food vs processed C#&P.

• Captain Cooks and Barefoot Pool Bar: good to very good for the price depending on what you order. The Thai meatballs, pulled pork nachos, bacon cheeseburger, chicken fingers/fries, salads, fish tacos, and breakfast foods were all very good. The grilled chicken avocado wrap definitely needed some major seasoning as it was sort of flavorless. Loved some of the frozen drinks and cocktails at the pool bar, especially the lime dole whip margarita with a chili-lime rim.
• 'Ohana Breakfast: good food overall, but better service and entertainment. The pineapple ham, the potatoes, and the juice are delicious. I could eat just that and be happy. Our daughter absolutely loved seeing the characters, and loved giving Mickey, Stitch, and Pluto big hugs. Well worth the price in my opinion if your kid loves characters.
• 'Ohana Dinner: where to begin on this one! There's a lot I loved, and some I didn't like much at all. The salad, bread, shrimp, noodles, chicken wings, dumplings, vegies, and bread pudding where all fantastic! However, I would change 2 things - scrap the grilled chicken altogether as you already had chicken wings, and instead of doing the teriyaki steak you do the steak with chimichurri. No one needs chicken wings in a honey teriyaki sauce followed by grilled bone-in chicken. Also, I ordered a Lapu Lapu as my cocktail - awesome and my daughter thought it was the greatest to drink water out of it once I was finished!
• Geyser Point: Took the boats over to Wilderness Lodge. Our daughter and son loved being on the water. The food was ok, the views/scenery were awesome. The much hyped up bison burger was good, not great. It sorta just tasted like a normal cheeseburger if you were to ask me and my father-in-law, so that was a bit of a letdown. The bar itself and the ambiance is lovely. While I wouldn't travel from another hotel to eat at Geyser Point again, I would definitely eat here if we stay at Wilderness Lodge in the future. Bonus - they have good TVs for watching a game and outdoor heaters to keep you warm for when the temperature drops a bit. Wishful thinking - it would be nice if they would expand the menu just a little with 2 or 3 more entre options as it's very limited today. Bonus - we caught the fireworks from the boats on the way back! Very cool to see them this way.
• Narcoossee's: Monorail over. Date night while the grandparents watched the kids. Hands down the best meal my wife and I have ever had on Disney property. Start to finish this place was amazing. Our waiter, Ryan from South Florida who loves to surf, couldn't have been nicer and more engaging, so shoutout to Ryan! Dude was the best and has fantastic taste in food as he made a lot of recommendations that we went with. The calamari was the most tender calamari ever - like butter. The brisket tortelloni was out of this world. The Blackened Red Fish was lick your plate clean level of awesome. And the scallops with gnocchi was the most delectable seafood pasta dish I've ever eaten. Bonus - I consider myself an Old Fashioned connoisseur, and this was up there with the best old fashioned I've ever had. There's nothing about this restaurant that should change anytime soon. The chefs, wait staff, and bartenders are all crushing it. Keep doing you!
  • Grandparents and kids did Kona Cafe takeout: They seemed to really enjoy it. Salmon with broccolini and a tuna poke bowl kept everyone happy, even the kids.
• Grand Floridian Cafe: Monorail over. Was looking for something casual to bring the entire family, and this fit the bill the night we went. Food was good, not great. I had the strip steak, which was fine. Nothing you can't really get at a Texas Roadhouse or Outback, so don't go here thinking you're getting a fine steak dinner. Drinks were okay. Service was very good and attentive. What was really awesome was getting to bring the kids outside to the courtyard until the food came. It was set up with some mini golf that my daughter loved to play with, while my son ran/crawled around. This made for a nice, relaxing evening despite just mediocre food.
• Flying Fish: Took the rental car. I really really wanted to love this restaurant because of the reviews I had read leading up to this vacation, but I gotta admit it was a bit of a letdown. While the restaurant is absolutely beautiful, and the food is of very good quality, it seemed to just lack some flavor with each dish. Not sure if the kitchen just had an off night, or if that's how it is all the time, but it wasn't up to the standards I was expecting given that it's often rated as one of the best restaurants on Disney property. I can think of at least 5 Disney restaurants off the top of my head that I would go back to before going to Flying Fish again. We had the lobster bisque, the pork belly, the Chilean sea bass, and the seafood trofie pasta. All good, nothing great. Same for the old fashioned - good, not great.
• Topolinos breakfast: Took the rental car. Incredible. The views, the vibe, the decor, the food, the characters - all spectacular. The muffins/pastry basket was a nice touch that I wasn't expecting. The kids Mickey waffle pops were great. While I'm sure they were no different than a normal Mickey waffle, my kid loved that they came on a stick and had different sauces to dip them into. I My wife had the waffles, which she loved. I had the steak and eggs, which is worth every bit of $49. The steak was cooked perfectly, and it paired perfectly with over easy eggs, the mushrooms and polenta. Fantastic meal. Bonus - We toured the studios and villas afterwards (shout out to the DVC rep Garrett Ford who was awesome to talk with), and I gotta say they really nailed this place. Everything about the villas was so well thought out, and it really shows that Disney is listening to feedback on what people like and don't like from each resort. Now, if they would just drop the resale restrictions! If not for the resale restrictions, I would buy at Riviera in a heartbeat!
• Cosmic Rays: We got to the park early at 7:45am, so the kids and grandparents were hungry by 11am. Kids shared chicken fingers, while my wife and I shared a Greek salad with chicken and a cheeseburger. Not gonna lie, it was pretty tasty given that it's quick service theme park food. In-laws agreed!
• Columbia Harbour House: Absolutely loved our meal here. We all were craving something healthier given that we had had some burgers and fries earlier, so we landed on Columbia Harbour House as we didn't want to do a traditional sit down meal. This worked out great as we had salmon and the shrimp skewers with rice and green beans. Both were delicious and cooked perfectly. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a good, healthy meal without getting bogged down at a sit down restaurant in Magic Kingdom.

The Staff: Some were awesome (shoutout to Ryan from Narcoossee's again!), housekeeping, Poly guest relations, and the waitress/server working the lava pool area during the day and Trader Sam's terrace at night. You guys all rocked! And then some were just ok. Some things I noticed on this trip that I haven't noticed in the past were it seems like the shine has come off of the cast members in the parks. They used to be so polished, clean cut, and always willing to greet you with a smile. Now it just seems like they're willing to hire whoever is willing to fill out an application. I witnessed one cast member working a ride who was talking to another cast member about how he couldn't wait to get done his shift in the next hour while in front of about 20-30 people. Others looked so uninterested/miserable to be there. I think Disney has a responsibility to do a better job when it comes to who they're hiring and how they're presenting themselves in the parks. These are the people on the front lines who can make a lasting impression on most of the guests, and from what I saw it was mediocre at best in the parks. I'm not sure what exactly the answer is, but you need a revamp quick because competition with Universal is only going to get tougher.

Magic Kingdom: I love Magic Kingdom, but holy moly do they really need to expand it. The demand is there Bob Iger!!!! Universal is expanding, and it's time for you to counter. This is the longest Disney has ever gone without opening a new gate at Disney World since it opened in the 70s. While I'm not necessarily advocating for a new gate, which would be awesome by the way, at the very least each park needs to be expanded in terms of number of attractions and spacing. We were in Disney Jan 22nd - 28th, and it was packed! The hotels were mostly sold out, the parks were jammed...and this is supposed to be a slow time of year! The parks are the most profitable aspect of the entire Disney company, and yet they seem shy on pouring capital into the parks. WHY?! It makes no sense. If your parks continue to be this crowded, you're going to lose more customers to Universal who just unveiled their shiny new toy just down the road from you. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT, BOB!

Genie+: I truly do feel that Genie+ has potential, but the current constraints/rules around Genie+ are awful. Don't make me stay up until midnight or make me wake up at 6:30am just to ensure I get Genie+. Disney is already tiring enough, don't make it worse on us, Disney leadership! Then the fact that I've constantly got to be on my phone looking for the next ride to "lightning lane" is ridiculous. During our 1 day at MK we were able to do 11 Disney+ lightning lanes, which was awesome, but I also felt like I had to take a college course leading up to our trip just to know how to most efficiently use the tool. Also who the hell on your marketing team thought "lightning lane" and "individual lightning lane" were good marketing ideas? I've got a bone to pick with you, marketing team! While I'm not claiming to have all the answers, there's gotta be a better way whether it's old school fast passes, pre-selecting "lightning lanes" a week+ in advance, or selling a "package" of rides where it sorts out your schedule for you. You can pick one package or up to all 3. If you pick 1 then you get all the rides in that package, if you pick 2 then you get 50% from each, and if you pick all 3 then you get roughly 33% of each based on availability.

• Little Kid package: Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo/Aladdin Carpets, Under the Sea, Mad Tea Party, Carrousel, Tomorrowland speedway, etc.
• Character package: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana, etc.
• Big Kid package: Tron, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates

Fireworks: Happily Ever After is an audio, visual, and aerial masterpiece. This was truly my first time focusing on the show from start to finish, and I was blown away. While part of me still misses the young-spirited tune of ‘Wishes’ narrated by Jiminy Cricket, Happily Ever After is the superior show without a doubt. How they tie the projected visuals into the fireworks and music is just spectacular. Now, with all that being said, if I had one wish it would be that they tie in a few more old school Disney movie classics, but that’s truly me looking for something to complain about. Well done Disney. 10/10!

What's next: My wife is due with our 3rd baby in June, so we're trying to decide if we go to Vero Beach in the early fall or go to another Disney World DVC property next winter. This next trip we will definitely have to book a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom due to nap schedules, but for now I'm going to secure my 2 Poly studios at the 11 month mark just to be safe. Ideally, I'm hoping that the Poly tower will be completed and available to book for January 2025, but I just don't know if it'll be ready by then. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Any tips/input you guys can provide on future trips is always greatly appreciated, so feel free to comment away. Always open to feedback and different opinions!

 

[Nastasya]

Congratulations and welcome home!

 

[Isabelle12345]

What a wonderful view!
I am jealous - I always requested Tokelau and never got it!!!
Thanks for taking the time to share your trip!

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

So fun! And welcome home! Really love all the details and reviews you gave! We also own at Poly we’ll be there at the end April and your TR made me even more excited.

I’m also hoping we’ll have a little more information on the tower by then. We’re definitely interested in adding more points just because we love the area and resort so much.

 

[lowlight]

Poly is such an awesome resort, especially with kids. I agree with most of your assessments. My trip this January was also out of control with crowds, we decided to stop going in January.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I'd love to hear more about your experiences with the monorail/boat/buses. How were the waits for each one and whatnot?

 

[hockeydad21]

I'd love to hear more about your experiences with the monorail/boat/buses. How were the waits for each one and whatnot?

We didn't utilize the buses at all, but the monorail and boats were great! We never waited more than 5 minutes for any of them, there were never any lines, and we rode them quite a bit with getting around to Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian, and Wilderness Lodge. Sometimes we even took a boat ride to nowhere because my daughter wanted to!

Downside of the boat is you need to fold up a double stroller to get it on. I believe a single stroller fits, and thus doesn't need to be folded.

 

[Genie+]

Thanks for taking the time! Poly is a fantastic resort. It’s a tie for us with VGF. The functionality of Poly is hard to beat and everything about the resort is top notch - fantastic rooms, theme, pools, food, transportation. Really the only downside I can muster is drawer space. Not a big deal as we still has options to fully unpack.

I really appreciate your thoughts on dining and sharing how you managed with young kids.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Really the only downside I can muster is drawer space.

I read this statement with no expectations of where it was going and I actually laughed out loud because it was certainly not this Drawer space is definitely important but it must be a really good resort if the first downside that comes to mind is that lol

 

[Genie+]

I read this statement with no expectations of where it was going and I actually laughed out loud because it was certainly not this Drawer space is definitely important but it must be a really good resort if the first downside that comes to mind is that lol

Exactly!

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Loved reading everything! Glad you had a great trip. Very excited for you and your family. Congratulations!

 

[Electron_si]

We are also recent Poly DVC owners and just finished our second split stay since purchasing with another trip booked for this summer. 3 kids 12, 9, and 1 and I have a lot of the same comments. Great atmosphere, great rooms, pack and play in the bathroom works great as we also found, and the kids really enjoy the pools and theming.

I’ve been wanting to try Narcoosees for a while and after reading your review I’m going to make sure we grab an ADR for an adult night on our next trip.

Although we haven’t stayed at every DVC resort we have done many cash stays and I think the studios at Poly are some of the best on property.

 

[gisele2]

So cool, loved to resd you adventures.

 

[mlittig]

Wonderful trip report on your very magical trip, hockeydad21 I was lucky enough to stay in room 3913 in Tokelau once and I absolutely loved it

 

[kittylady1972]

Great report! We aren't Poly owners but have stayed there a few times. I think we had Tokelau our VERY first stay and a room that overlooked MK which was GREAT! Last time around we ended up in Pago Pago and I think we've decided that is a new favorite. Reasoning was that if you walked to the end of that building you were RIGHT at the pathway to the TTC so could hop the monorail to EPCOT very easily. On those hot days, this was pretty nice. We also enjoyed both pools, the quiet pool was nice and sometimes easier to find a seat...not always though.

We have only used Genie+ a handful of times, found it useful when we were only doing a single park day at HS so we managed to get in a few more rides there without long waits. Overall NOT a fan though but essential on short trips if you have people who want to do stuff. As AP holders we don't worry as much about doing all the things.

Your review from Narcoossee's though is really making me want to return. We have had a love for Flying Fish for a while, and last few trips haven't wanted to dress in "fancy" clothes or pack them, but now I am thinking I need to make a reservation there for a future trip for just DH and I to try. We actually tried Yachtsman Steakhouse a few trips ago for the very first time, and I wasn't feeling the best for that one so just had soup and salad but it was still very good and I'd love to return.

Congrats on the baby on the way! As a mom of 3 (now all adults) it was our driving reason for purchasing DVC years ago because spacious rooms for families of 5 make things more bearable!

 

[WolffPack06]

Poly lake view one of our favorite rooms so far!

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Nice review! We love Poly. I agreed with a lot of your thoughts and there were a couple where we had a different experience than you did. We absolutely loved Flying Fish. Like you, I have always wanted to try it. We did it during our trip last week and it was really good. Our server was a little spotty, but the rest was great. I 100% agree with your thoughts on the park staff. Many of them seem like they could care less. I overheard a couple CMs talking while we were eating lunch at ABC and one of them dropped a few curse words. If I was at Great Escape I wouldn’t care. But WDW is supposed to be different. There were also REALLY good CMs who went out of their way, mind you. But it just seems like the overall mood has slipped a bit. And the Fireworks at MK were phenomenal…I agree with you.

On our next trip I do want to try Captain Hook’s pork nachos. They are on my to-do list. Maybe I will finally be lucky enough to get a drink at Trader Sam’s too…we have been unable to get seated there.

Welcome home and have fun booking your next trip! That’s one of the great things about DVC…you will usually always have another trip booked.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Welcome home and early congrats on your 3rd! We also have 3 kids under 7, and own resale Poly and direct Riv. Many happy memories at Topolino’s.

Great trip report!

 

[mickandvick]

DVC Background: Bought into DVC back in late spring 2023, so have owned for just under a year. While we have stayed at Deluxe Hotels before and we've rented a DVC 1 bedroom before at Saratoga, this was truly our first stay for me and my wife as DVC owners.

Family: I am 36 years old, and was traveling with my wife (34), daughter (just turned 3), son (just turned 1), and in-laws (66).

Trip Length: 6 nights, Jan 22nd - 28th.

Rooms: I booked us 2 deluxe studios (standard view) with a request for connecting rooms in Tokelau. Wow! Talk about being pixie dusted! Not only did we get connecting rooms in Tokelau, but they put us 3rd floor in room 3914 and 3913, which give you partial lake views (photos attached). These are arguably the most sought after standard views at the Polynesian, and we were lucky enough to get them! The rooms themselves are beautiful, spacious, and work great for a family with young kids on a points budget given there is room for sleeping 5 comfortably. Arguably the best studios out of any DVC resort.

• Sleeping arrangements with the kids: wife and daughter in the dedicated queen bed, me in the queen murphy bed, and my son in a pack 'n' play in the bathroom with the rainfall shower. The murphy bed was extremely comfortable, which was a pleasant surprise to me. Also, the pack 'n' play for my son fit perfectly in that bathroom for any parents planning future trips with babies. He's 99% in height, and there was enough room on either side that he wasn't able to grab onto anything on the walls or sink if he were to stand up and reach for it. Being able to put him in the bathroom with a sound machine was a HUGE win because this little dude goes to sleep at least 90 minutes before the rest of us. This gave us plenty of freedom to continue enjoying our night with our daughter without disturbing the little guy.

The Resort: What's not to love about the Polynesian? It's beautiful, tropical landscaping makes it feel incredibly relaxing, yet incredibly fun all at the same time. Love how the Poly really embraces the 60s/70s tiki theme with some statues/carvings/fountains/torches while also finding a way to blend in modern furnishings in the rooms and around the resort. Glad to see you've kept the charm as you've updated her throughout the years. Well done Disney! The location is hard to beat with access to the resort monorail loop, the express Magic Kingdom loop via a quick walk to the transportation center, and the Epcot loop also via the transportation center. We utilized the monorails and boats a number of times that I'll touch on in a bit.

The Pools: Absolutely fantastic! Both have zero entry, which is great for having young kids. The lava pool (feature pool) was lots of fun for our 3 year old as she liked to participate in the kids' afternoon activities/games, and close enough for her to venture over to the kids' splash pad when she wanted. I had to do the water slide per my daughter's request, and I have to say it was good. While she's a little too small for the big slide, I can see her loving it in the coming years. Also, don't sleep on the quiet pool as it is fantastic if you're looking for more of a relaxed feel. We ventured here many times after lunch so our daughter could have some "quiet pool time" while my son took a nap in the stroller.

The Food: My wife and I love food, so bare with me....Overall I think the food is good to very good, especially for the price. My in-laws commented at how fair they thought the pricing was, and I couldn't agree more. Being that you're at Disney they could really overcharge if they wanted to, especially in the parks. Heck, going to McDonalds seems to cost $12 these days for 1 person, so an adult quick service meal for that price seems more than reasonable given that you get real food vs processed C#&P.

• Captain Cooks and Barefoot Pool Bar: good to very good for the price depending on what you order. The Thai meatballs, pulled pork nachos, bacon cheeseburger, chicken fingers/fries, salads, fish tacos, and breakfast foods were all very good. The grilled chicken avocado wrap definitely needed some major seasoning as it was sort of flavorless. Loved some of the frozen drinks and cocktails at the pool bar, especially the lime dole whip margarita with a chili-lime rim.
• 'Ohana Breakfast: good food overall, but better service and entertainment. The pineapple ham, the potatoes, and the juice are delicious. I could eat just that and be happy. Our daughter absolutely loved seeing the characters, and loved giving Mickey, Stitch, and Pluto big hugs. Well worth the price in my opinion if your kid loves characters.
• 'Ohana Dinner: where to begin on this one! There's a lot I loved, and some I didn't like much at all. The salad, bread, shrimp, noodles, chicken wings, dumplings, vegies, and bread pudding where all fantastic! However, I would change 2 things - scrap the grilled chicken altogether as you already had chicken wings, and instead of doing the teriyaki steak you do the steak with chimichurri. No one needs chicken wings in a honey teriyaki sauce followed by grilled bone-in chicken. Also, I ordered a Lapu Lapu as my cocktail - awesome and my daughter thought it was the greatest to drink water out of it once I was finished!
• Geyser Point: Took the boats over to Wilderness Lodge. Our daughter and son loved being on the water. The food was ok, the views/scenery were awesome. The much hyped up bison burger was good, not great. It sorta just tasted like a normal cheeseburger if you were to ask me and my father-in-law, so that was a bit of a letdown. The bar itself and the ambiance is lovely. While I wouldn't travel from another hotel to eat at Geyser Point again, I would definitely eat here if we stay at Wilderness Lodge in the future. Bonus - they have good TVs for watching a game and outdoor heaters to keep you warm for when the temperature drops a bit. Wishful thinking - it would be nice if they would expand the menu just a little with 2 or 3 more entre options as it's very limited today. Bonus - we caught the fireworks from the boats on the way back! Very cool to see them this way.
• Narcoossee's: Monorail over. Date night while the grandparents watched the kids. Hands down the best meal my wife and I have ever had on Disney property. Start to finish this place was amazing. Our waiter, Ryan from South Florida who loves to surf, couldn't have been nicer and more engaging, so shoutout to Ryan! Dude was the best and has fantastic taste in food as he made a lot of recommendations that we went with. The calamari was the most tender calamari ever - like butter. The brisket tortelloni was out of this world. The Blackened Red Fish was lick your plate clean level of awesome. And the scallops with gnocchi was the most delectable seafood pasta dish I've ever eaten. Bonus - I consider myself an Old Fashioned connoisseur, and this was up there with the best old fashioned I've ever had. There's nothing about this restaurant that should change anytime soon. The chefs, wait staff, and bartenders are all crushing it. Keep doing you!
  • Grandparents and kids did Kona Cafe takeout: They seemed to really enjoy it. Salmon with broccolini and a tuna poke bowl kept everyone happy, even the kids.
• Grand Floridian Cafe: Monorail over. Was looking for something casual to bring the entire family, and this fit the bill the night we went. Food was good, not great. I had the strip steak, which was fine. Nothing you can't really get at a Texas Roadhouse or Outback, so don't go here thinking you're getting a fine steak dinner. Drinks were okay. Service was very good and attentive. What was really awesome was getting to bring the kids outside to the courtyard until the food came. It was set up with some mini golf that my daughter loved to play with, while my son ran/crawled around. This made for a nice, relaxing evening despite just mediocre food.
• Flying Fish: Took the rental car. I really really wanted to love this restaurant because of the reviews I had read leading up to this vacation, but I gotta admit it was a bit of a letdown. While the restaurant is absolutely beautiful, and the food is of very good quality, it seemed to just lack some flavor with each dish. Not sure if the kitchen just had an off night, or if that's how it is all the time, but it wasn't up to the standards I was expecting given that it's often rated as one of the best restaurants on Disney property. I can think of at least 5 Disney restaurants off the top of my head that I would go back to before going to Flying Fish again. We had the lobster bisque, the pork belly, the Chilean sea bass, and the seafood trofie pasta. All good, nothing great. Same for the old fashioned - good, not great.
• Topolinos breakfast: Took the rental car. Incredible. The views, the vibe, the decor, the food, the characters - all spectacular. The muffins/pastry basket was a nice touch that I wasn't expecting. The kids Mickey waffle pops were great. While I'm sure they were no different than a normal Mickey waffle, my kid loved that they came on a stick and had different sauces to dip them into. I My wife had the waffles, which she loved. I had the steak and eggs, which is worth every bit of $49. The steak was cooked perfectly, and it paired perfectly with over easy eggs, the mushrooms and polenta. Fantastic meal. Bonus - We toured the studios and villas afterwards (shout out to the DVC rep Garrett Ford who was awesome to talk with), and I gotta say they really nailed this place. Everything about the villas was so well thought out, and it really shows that Disney is listening to feedback on what people like and don't like from each resort. Now, if they would just drop the resale restrictions! If not for the resale restrictions, I would buy at Riviera in a heartbeat!
• Cosmic Rays: We got to the park early at 7:45am, so the kids and grandparents were hungry by 11am. Kids shared chicken fingers, while my wife and I shared a Greek salad with chicken and a cheeseburger. Not gonna lie, it was pretty tasty given that it's quick service theme park food. In-laws agreed!
• Columbia Harbour House: Absolutely loved our meal here. We all were craving something healthier given that we had had some burgers and fries earlier, so we landed on Columbia Harbour House as we didn't want to do a traditional sit down meal. This worked out great as we had salmon and the shrimp skewers with rice and green beans. Both were delicious and cooked perfectly. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a good, healthy meal without getting bogged down at a sit down restaurant in Magic Kingdom.

The Staff: Some were awesome (shoutout to Ryan from Narcoossee's again!), housekeeping, Poly guest relations, and the waitress/server working the lava pool area during the day and Trader Sam's terrace at night. You guys all rocked! And then some were just ok. Some things I noticed on this trip that I haven't noticed in the past were it seems like the shine has come off of the cast members in the parks. They used to be so polished, clean cut, and always willing to greet you with a smile. Now it just seems like they're willing to hire whoever is willing to fill out an application. I witnessed one cast member working a ride who was talking to another cast member about how he couldn't wait to get done his shift in the next hour while in front of about 20-30 people. Others looked so uninterested/miserable to be there. I think Disney has a responsibility to do a better job when it comes to who they're hiring and how they're presenting themselves in the parks. These are the people on the front lines who can make a lasting impression on most of the guests, and from what I saw it was mediocre at best in the parks. I'm not sure what exactly the answer is, but you need a revamp quick because competition with Universal is only going to get tougher.

Magic Kingdom: I love Magic Kingdom, but holy moly do they really need to expand it. The demand is there Bob Iger!!!! Universal is expanding, and it's time for you to counter. This is the longest Disney has ever gone without opening a new gate at Disney World since it opened in the 70s. While I'm not necessarily advocating for a new gate, which would be awesome by the way, at the very least each park needs to be expanded in terms of number of attractions and spacing. We were in Disney Jan 22nd - 28th, and it was packed! The hotels were mostly sold out, the parks were jammed...and this is supposed to be a slow time of year! The parks are the most profitable aspect of the entire Disney company, and yet they seem shy on pouring capital into the parks. WHY?! It makes no sense. If your parks continue to be this crowded, you're going to lose more customers to Universal who just unveiled their shiny new toy just down the road from you. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT, BOB!

Genie+: I truly do feel that Genie+ has potential, but the current constraints/rules around Genie+ are awful. Don't make me stay up until midnight or make me wake up at 6:30am just to ensure I get Genie+. Disney is already tiring enough, don't make it worse on us, Disney leadership! Then the fact that I've constantly got to be on my phone looking for the next ride to "lightning lane" is ridiculous. During our 1 day at MK we were able to do 11 Disney+ lightning lanes, which was awesome, but I also felt like I had to take a college course leading up to our trip just to know how to most efficiently use the tool. Also who the hell on your marketing team thought "lightning lane" and "individual lightning lane" were good marketing ideas? I've got a bone to pick with you, marketing team! While I'm not claiming to have all the answers, there's gotta be a better way whether it's old school fast passes, pre-selecting "lightning lanes" a week+ in advance, or selling a "package" of rides where it sorts out your schedule for you. You can pick one package or up to all 3. If you pick 1 then you get all the rides in that package, if you pick 2 then you get 50% from each, and if you pick all 3 then you get roughly 33% of each based on availability.

• Little Kid package: Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo/Aladdin Carpets, Under the Sea, Mad Tea Party, Carrousel, Tomorrowland speedway, etc.
• Character package: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana, etc.
• Big Kid package: Tron, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates

Fireworks: Happily Ever After is an audio, visual, and aerial masterpiece. This was truly my first time focusing on the show from start to finish, and I was blown away. While part of me still misses the young-spirited tune of ‘Wishes’ narrated by Jiminy Cricket, Happily Ever After is the superior show without a doubt. How they tie the projected visuals into the fireworks and music is just spectacular. Now, with all that being said, if I had one wish it would be that they tie in a few more old school Disney movie classics, but that’s truly me looking for something to complain about. Well done Disney. 10/10!

What's next: My wife is due with our 3rd baby in June, so we're trying to decide if we go to Vero Beach in the early fall or go to another Disney World DVC property next winter. This next trip we will definitely have to book a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom due to nap schedules, but for now I'm going to secure my 2 Poly studios at the 11 month mark just to be safe. Ideally, I'm hoping that the Poly tower will be completed and available to book for January 2025, but I just don't know if it'll be ready by then. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Any tips/input you guys can provide on future trips is always greatly appreciated, so feel free to comment away. Always open to feedback and different opinions!

Which room of the 2 -3914 or 3913 had the better view?

 

[hockeydad21]

Which room of the 2 -3914 or 3913 had the better view?

3914 has the better view. It’s the corner unit on the north side of the building facing the water.