Is it worth the difference? Poly vs off site- Windsor Hills

[kerry331]

Thank you for all your information and insight on this topic. I feel much better about my decision now!! I think the kids will definitely LOVE the experience!!!

We do go to the NJ boardwalks in the summer, I live in Southern NJ so we frequent Ocean city in the summer time. My kids love it there, so i can imagine they will be in awe of Disney!

I hope the meal plan is good like you guys say..i am already on edge about the cost, and i know our agent is booking us at a few restaurants ( a restaurant ANimal kingdom for dinner, then Tony's in MK?) and somewhere called Hollywood in Vine? ? I believe....we have a character bfast with Lilo and stitch our last morning there at the Poly...oh we are going to the Luau Dinner too.

For my kids ages , can you tell me what are the MUST NOT MISS events /rides in disney????

Again thank you! And we are going mothers day weekend, Thurs-tues.

 

[MagicalEars]

I'm from NJ too and I agree!!!

OP:
We stayed at the Poly last summer (we are also a family of 5) and it is SO worth every penny! We loved the convience of the monorail, loved the resort and the pool and the GCH and everything there. We were in Tahiti on the ground floor and you could just open the door and step out onto the beach.

The dining plan is A LOT of food. We ate tons and had snack credits left at the end to use for cookies and candy to take home with us. You probably won't have to buy anything beyond the plan if you don't want to and I doubt you'll find it expensive. Do you go to Great Adventure or the Boardwalk (the NJ boardwalks, not the Disney one)? The food in WDW is cheaper and much better quality than those places. Just some friendly advice from 1 Jersey girl to another, stay at the Poly. HTH!

I SO hate Great Adventure. It's dirty, crowded and overpriced and oh, it's in NJ.
Great Adventure CM (Obviously from NJ): "Yeah....can I help you or something?"
Guest: "Where are the rest rooms?"
GA CM: "*sigh* Can't you see I'm on my break? Just look at your park map, that's what it's for."

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Thank you for all your information and insight on this topic. I feel much better about my decision now!! I think the kids will definitely LOVE the experience!!!

We do go to the NJ boardwalks in the summer, I live in Southern NJ so we frequent Ocean city in the summer time. My kids love it there, so i can imagine they will be in awe of Disney!

I hope the meal plan is good like you guys say..i am already on edge about the cost, and i know our agent is booking us at a few restaurants ( a restaurant ANimal kingdom for dinner, then Tony's in MK?) and somewhere called Hollywood in Vine? ? I believe....we have a character bfast with Lilo and stitch our last morning there at the Poly...oh we are going to the Luau Dinner too.

For my kids ages , can you tell me what are the MUST NOT MISS events /rides in disney????

Again thank you! And we are going mothers day weekend, Thurs-tues.

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo excited for you!

I highly recommend Chef Mickey's for dinner in the CR. Hop on the monorail and it is a nice break for dinner from the MK. It is a buffet so there is sooo much variety. The character interaction is wonderful. It is a great way to begin your trip.

MK - Fantasyland has the rides for you. Skip Snow White - It is very scary for tots, IMO. Can't miss Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh. They are wonderful!!

Captain Cooks (Poly) does have great Mickey waffles and Tonga Toast in the morning.

Keep us posted on your plans!

 

[kerry331]

What is Chef Mickeys? Are the characters there? What kind of food??

 

[MagicalEars]

Thank you for all your information and insight on this topic. I feel much better about my decision now!! I think the kids will definitely LOVE the experience!!!

We do go to the NJ boardwalks in the summer, I live in Southern NJ so we frequent Ocean city in the summer time. My kids love it there, so i can imagine they will be in awe of Disney!

I hope the meal plan is good like you guys say..i am already on edge about the cost, and i know our agent is booking us at a few restaurants ( a restaurant ANimal kingdom for dinner, then Tony's in MK?) and somewhere called Hollywood in Vine? ? I believe....we have a character bfast with Lilo and stitch our last morning there at the Poly...oh we are going to the Luau Dinner too.

For my kids ages , can you tell me what are the MUST NOT MISS events /rides in disney????

Again thank you! And we are going mothers day weekend, Thurs-tues.

South jersey! Excellent, me too! We've been to OC many of times, but stay away from the beaches as I don't care for puke colored water and animals/needles washed ashore.

Don't forget that you can also call WDW-DINE to book your own ADR's. Nothing against travel agents and such, but I much prefer booking everything through Disney directly. Anyway, you'll love all those meals that you mentioned.

We actually arrive at the Polly on Mother's Day, so it will be a NJ invasion. In fact, we have a breakfast scheduled at Ohana with Lilo & Stitch on Tues as well.

If your kids are not scared of fireworks then you must see Wishes at MK, it's just simply amazing. Also check MK's schedule when you get there and see when Spectromagic is happening. It's a parade at night that is made up of lighted floats, extremely pretty and kids love it. All kids that age love the Dumbo ride, so that's a must. It's a Small World is great for kids. Just keep them away from the Snow White ride, it scares the crap out of just about every child.

If they like the shows that are on Playhouse Disney, then check out Playhouse Disney Live at Hollywood Hills. Hmmm....Soarin is amazing and usually tame for all ages. The 3D shows in all the parks are great if the little ones aren't afraid of them, though It's Tough to be a Bug scares the wee ones. My DD7 doesn't like the 3D shows at all, but will go on every roller coaster Disney can through at her.

Of course there are character meet and greets everywhere. This is our DD's favorite activity.

It really all depends on what your kids like. Most kids (and adults) just love being at WDW so you'll have a wonderful time.

 

[kerry331]

Are you and your family staying at the poly mothers day weekend also????! Wow..small world!!!

I will definitely see you at Ohana's on Tues then! Probably before that. Like i said i have 3 little ones, 6 , 4 and 2....I am early pregnant with #4 as well... this is why we are avoiding DW in the summer..I am due in Oct, and do not want to be in the 90 something degree heat walking around with a belly.

Thank you for all your help . again!!!

We are so excited!

 

[Aliceacc]

Here's the list of Character meals: http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

And congrats on your upcoming arrival!!!

 

[Lucky'sMom]

Instead of Tony's at MK, see you can get an ADR for Crystal Palace (Pooh & friends) or Liberty Tree Tavern (Minnie, Goofy, etc). These are 2 of our family favorites, and much better (in our opinions) than Tony's esp. with young children.

 

[MagicalEars]

Instead of Tony's at MK, see you can get an ADR for Crystal Palace (Pooh & friends) or Liberty Tree Tavern (Minnie, Goofy, etc). These are 2 of our family favorites, and much better (in our opinions) than Tony's esp. with young children.

Agreed! Liberty Tree Tavern is one of my favorite dinners in WDW.

Kerry-
Yes we will arrive at the Polly on Mother's Day the 11th and leave on the 17th. We were going to go from the 10-16th, but moved the dates up one so we could attend the Princess and Pirate Party at MK.

I'm looking over this thread and I don't see you mention if your kids are boys or girls. I only ask because if they are girls then there are a TON of options for all things Disney Princesses. You should post back and not only let us know that, but what characters your kids are really into.

Are you on the regular dining plan or the deluxe? Even if you are on the regular dining plan, you will probably find that it will be enough food. You get 1 CS, 1 TS and 1 Snack for each night of your stay, so you could do a really good breakfast buffet like Chef Mickeys or Crystal Palace and load up on food, then have a counter service meal at somewhere like Cosmic Ray's in MK, followed by snacks during the fireworks or such. It's a very flexable plan.

My number #1 piece of advice for your first trip to WDW.....relax and enjoy it! Don't fall into this "rush,rush, see everything additude that so many park goers get into. You'll enjoy your vacation much more if you realize that you can't see everything the first time and that you'll enjoy yourself so much more on the things you do get to see if you aren't rushed.

PolyHereWeCome-
Looks like our families will be there the same week.

 

[MagicalEars]

What is Chef Mickeys? Are the characters there? What kind of food??

Chef Mickey's is fantastic. They serve both a breakfast and dinner buffet, but we much prefer the breakfast. It's located in the Contemporary Resort which is right on the monorail, so it's a short ride away from the Poly. The characters are Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Chip and Dale and Goofy, who holds court in the waiting area. Just don't be thrown off by the corny picture they take of your family upon entering Chef Mickey's. They place you next to a cheesy cardboard cut-out of Chef Mickey, then offer you pictures later. I never understood the cardboard thing, but at least they don't push the pictures on you.

The food is really good. You have things like Mickey Waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and something called breakfast pizza which is really yummy. And of course they serve you juice milk and coffee. It's all really good.

Here are some pics of Chef Mickey's....

 

[Frankiesmom]

We'll also be there from the 10th-16th! Small world!!! We are leaving on the 16th as my parents just moved into a new home in W. Melbourne and we'll be spending 2 days there; we have been to P&P before- so we won't miss that-but I am kind of sad to give up 2 extra days @ WDW!!!! LOL. The weather this time of year is beautiful!!! We love to go in May!!!

 

[MagicalEars]

We'll also be there from the 10th-16th! Small world!!! We are leaving on the 16th as my parents just moved into a new home in W. Melbourne and we'll be spending 2 days there; we have been to P&P before- so we won't miss that-but I am kind of sad to give up 2 extra days @ WDW!!!! LOL. The weather this time of year is beautiful!!! We love to go in May!!!

Fantastic! It's a Northeast invasion! Disney will never be the same.

I know, May is such a great time of year to be at WDW. Plus we'll all be there for the Flower and Garden show in Epcot....BONUS!

This will be our first P&P so we're really excited about it.

 

[kerry331]

Ron, I have 2 girls and one boy, my girls are 6 and 4, and my son is 2!!!
The girls LOVE princesses!!!!

What is the pirate party at MK and when is it exactly?????

B'fast at Chef Mickey's - thank you!!!! We'll definitely do it!

 

[vbarry]

kerry331- You are going to have such a great time at the Poly! Try Ohanas for dinner. It is our first night ritual during every trip. The breakfast is also fun with Stitch! Sit on the beach and watch the fireworks at night...it is one of my all time favorite things to do while on our trips. The kids love to play in the sand and DH and I can have a nice drink and just relax!

Have a magical trip!

 

[kileybeth]

congrats on choosing the POLY, you will be forever spoiled.

has anyone suggested going over to allears dot net and looking at resort pictures but especially the dining menus? they have very specific information and you can learn a lot. I also recommend calling disney dining direct for your reservations. They are very helpful and will work with you to find what you want and often have good suggestions about times/etc.

Enjoy!

 

[kileybeth]

oh I forgot to add, I do not recommend the deluxe dining plan with only 4 days for a first trip. All you will see is the inside of lots of restaurants! dining can take up a huge chunk of time. better to go with regular plan and definitely enjoy one nice sit down meal a day and one nice counter service meal and then snacks when you want them. We had left over snacks and used them up by buying things for trip home.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Enjoy your stay at the Polynesian.
we picked it for our first trip when the girls were 6 & 9 and we all fell in love!
We did a few split stays with some other deluxes but always came back to the Poly.

 

[MagicalEars]

oh I forgot to add, I do not recommend the deluxe dining plan with only 4 days for a first trip. All you will see is the inside of lots of restaurants! dining can take up a huge chunk of time. better to go with regular plan and definitely enjoy one nice sit down meal a day and one nice counter service meal and then snacks when you want them. We had left over snacks and used them up by buying things for trip home.

Very good advice kileybeth! My DW was trying to hint to me that we would spend too much time at restaurants if we booked all those ADR's on the deluxe. We are now considering getting rid of the dining plan altogether and just paying OOP for everything. We'll still keep a few choice ADR's like CRT, O'hana and CP, but just have counter service and snacks for everything else. I went and priced out our meals using allears.net and compared it to the DxDP and found that we'll save at least $400 by paying OOP, and that's tax and all.


Kerry-
Your girls are going to be on during your stay. Our DD was 4 the first time we took her and she loved all the characters, especially the princesses. If you have a breakfast or dinner open in your plans and on your DDP, you might want to consider a character meal with the princesses. Just be sure to follow Kileybeth's advice and not book too many meals. However I can tell you that if your DD's love the princesses, there is a great chance to meet them at the Princess Storybook Breakfast in Epcot. We've meet Mulan, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, and Bell was holding court at the entrance. The only one not there was Cindy, but she's stuckup and only appears in HER castle or at 1900 park fare.

Just be warned that if you do the PSB, the food isn't the greatest. Out of all the breakfasts we've had at WDW, it was the worst. It wasn't McDonalds bad, but it wasn't good either. Still, you would be going for the DD's experience so it makes up for it.

The Princess and Pirate Party (P&PP) is a "hard-ticket event" that is only open to those that have bought the tickets. Basically they close MK early and only allow those who purchased tickets to the event in. The P&PP event has MK transformed into a Princess and Pirate theme with special events, meet-n-greets, parades and fireworks that only happen during this event. The kids get a bag and treasure map to "hunt" for treasure (beads and coins), and interact with CM's that are dressed in pirate and princess garb. Most of the kids that attend this event dress up as well. Almost to a person, everyone loves this event. I personally can't wait to see it! Here is a link with more info... http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/pirateprincess-party.htm

Other places to meet the princesses outside of a meal are....
You can find anyone from Snow White to Aurora outside of guest services in MK.
Ariel has her own little grotto in MK.
You can find Jasmine and Aladin in Morocco. See here...

You can also find Snow White and Mulan in their respective parts of the World Showcase.
Pocahontas is with her forest friends in AK at Raffiki's Watch.

Just make sure the little ones have autograph book ready!