PlutoTheDog89
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2011
- Messages
- 2,088
Just back and feeling some severe Post Disney Depression. Here are a few quick points from our trip...
We arrived late 10/27 and stayed through 11/1. It was our first trip during Halloween, and my cousins' first trip ever The group was myself (28), my sister (33), my parents (in their 60s), my aunt (60s), my cousin (31), my two cousins (36, 40) and their two little ones (2, 4).
Polynesian Resort
- We stayed at Polynesian for the first time ever. The only other Deluxe Resort we've stayed at was Beach Club, which we loved. Maybe it's because we've built up the Poly for years—riding through it on the monorail, going to Ohana, etc., but it just didn't overly impress us.
- The room was very large (maybe the largest we've stayed in) and had a fold-out bed, which was very helpful, but it was old and dated. They've done so much work to construct these $2k+ bungalows that many people will never stay in, but failed to update the rooms. We for sure prefer Beach Club.
- Our room wasn't cleaned one day. When we called they blamed us, claiming we left the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. We didn't. When we told the front desk the next day, they said the same "you must have had your Do Not Disturb" sign on. This was a major turnoff: the customer is always right (and we were most certainly right). For $600+ a night, that room should be cleaned every single day.
- We never waited for a monorail. It was pretty seamless, even with the new security. I will say, the Beach Club fits our needs more. We prefer the ability to walk to EPCOT in under 10 minutes or hop on the boat to DHS over going on the monorail to MK. This is a far more attractive option to us.
Going with 10 people
- Planning for 10 people wasn't easy, but not nearly as difficult as I thought it'd be. Finding a reservation wasn't bad—I was even able to get everyone a FP+ for Flights of Passage (more on that soon). The biggest obstacle was getting everyone on board and linked on MyDisneyExperience, especially for those that are not familiar with Disney, the platform, etc.
- I grossly overestimated our ability to get 10 people ready at one time—especially the two babies. We missed out on a few FP+s from having to re-jig plans.
- I pushed to not go to the parks on Saturday when our family and the little ones arrived, but they were okay with going. It was a mistake. We felt rushed to get stuff done before our 5pm 'Ohana reservation. It would have been better to relax, enjoy the pool and get a good night's sleep.
Christmas vs. Halloween
- We go every year for Christmas. I'd say Christmas is still better when it comes to overall Disney decorations, however, Magic Kingdom is definitely better during Halloween. It feels like they do more during Halloween and have more.
Crowds
- It was more crowded than I expected, but nothing like Christmas. We did MNSSHP on Halloween. Even though it was Halloween, we figured it wouldn't be bad, seeing as it was a weekday. I guess because we were in the hub it felt more crowded.
- DHS is perpetually crowded. Between the lack of attractions and concentrated area, it just feels crazy crowded. The construction isn't turning many people away.
- AK wasn't bad. We did Animal Kingdom on our last day (Wednesday) and it wasn't too crowded. We had FP+ for Expedition Everest, but it was a walk-on. Even Pandora's rides were like 75-90 minutes, which isn't bad considering.
Food and Wine
- We tried to do it over the course of 2 days, along with rides and all, but just couldn't tackle it. You need a dedicated 2 days for Food & Wine and you need to share. We were way too full and couldn't enjoy it as much.
Other Notes
- My family didn't get to ride FoP because we booked it too late. We originally confused our Christmas flight with our Halloween flight and I booked a FP+ for later in the day, thinking we had more time. My cousins got to ride FoP, as they left today. They called me saying it was the best ride they've ever been on.
- You don't truly appreciate the characters until you see them interact with kids (kids you know, to be more specific). Donald in Magic Kingdom was so good with the 4yo girl. She was always a big Mickey fan, but she said Donald was her favorite. The 2yo loves Rapunzel, but she lost it when it came time to meet her. She broke down in tears and was terrified, but Rapunzel was very easy going and calmed down the situation.
- There's a lot of construction going on, but as a Disney fan/nerd, it was cool to see. We caught a glimpse of the new Slinky Dog Coaster and fan boy'ed out.
- Avatar is breathtaking. I can't wait to see it at night. Sa'tuli Canteen is as good as advertised.
- It was a little stressful. I take a lot of pride in planning trips and I felt the need to appease everyone. My cousin's husband took me aside during MNSSHP when i was stressing over what to do next and told me "don't worry about appeasing everyone—you just say what you think is best and we'll roll with it." I was so worried about them having the best possible experience, but it seems like they caught the Disney "bug". They started talking about their next trip.
- After traveling with young ones, I see why my parents only brought us every 4 years, rather than annually.
We arrived late 10/27 and stayed through 11/1. It was our first trip during Halloween, and my cousins' first trip ever The group was myself (28), my sister (33), my parents (in their 60s), my aunt (60s), my cousin (31), my two cousins (36, 40) and their two little ones (2, 4).
Polynesian Resort
- We stayed at Polynesian for the first time ever. The only other Deluxe Resort we've stayed at was Beach Club, which we loved. Maybe it's because we've built up the Poly for years—riding through it on the monorail, going to Ohana, etc., but it just didn't overly impress us.
- The room was very large (maybe the largest we've stayed in) and had a fold-out bed, which was very helpful, but it was old and dated. They've done so much work to construct these $2k+ bungalows that many people will never stay in, but failed to update the rooms. We for sure prefer Beach Club.
- Our room wasn't cleaned one day. When we called they blamed us, claiming we left the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. We didn't. When we told the front desk the next day, they said the same "you must have had your Do Not Disturb" sign on. This was a major turnoff: the customer is always right (and we were most certainly right). For $600+ a night, that room should be cleaned every single day.
- We never waited for a monorail. It was pretty seamless, even with the new security. I will say, the Beach Club fits our needs more. We prefer the ability to walk to EPCOT in under 10 minutes or hop on the boat to DHS over going on the monorail to MK. This is a far more attractive option to us.
Going with 10 people
- Planning for 10 people wasn't easy, but not nearly as difficult as I thought it'd be. Finding a reservation wasn't bad—I was even able to get everyone a FP+ for Flights of Passage (more on that soon). The biggest obstacle was getting everyone on board and linked on MyDisneyExperience, especially for those that are not familiar with Disney, the platform, etc.
- I grossly overestimated our ability to get 10 people ready at one time—especially the two babies. We missed out on a few FP+s from having to re-jig plans.
- I pushed to not go to the parks on Saturday when our family and the little ones arrived, but they were okay with going. It was a mistake. We felt rushed to get stuff done before our 5pm 'Ohana reservation. It would have been better to relax, enjoy the pool and get a good night's sleep.
Christmas vs. Halloween
- We go every year for Christmas. I'd say Christmas is still better when it comes to overall Disney decorations, however, Magic Kingdom is definitely better during Halloween. It feels like they do more during Halloween and have more.
Crowds
- It was more crowded than I expected, but nothing like Christmas. We did MNSSHP on Halloween. Even though it was Halloween, we figured it wouldn't be bad, seeing as it was a weekday. I guess because we were in the hub it felt more crowded.
- DHS is perpetually crowded. Between the lack of attractions and concentrated area, it just feels crazy crowded. The construction isn't turning many people away.
- AK wasn't bad. We did Animal Kingdom on our last day (Wednesday) and it wasn't too crowded. We had FP+ for Expedition Everest, but it was a walk-on. Even Pandora's rides were like 75-90 minutes, which isn't bad considering.
Food and Wine
- We tried to do it over the course of 2 days, along with rides and all, but just couldn't tackle it. You need a dedicated 2 days for Food & Wine and you need to share. We were way too full and couldn't enjoy it as much.
Other Notes
- My family didn't get to ride FoP because we booked it too late. We originally confused our Christmas flight with our Halloween flight and I booked a FP+ for later in the day, thinking we had more time. My cousins got to ride FoP, as they left today. They called me saying it was the best ride they've ever been on.
- You don't truly appreciate the characters until you see them interact with kids (kids you know, to be more specific). Donald in Magic Kingdom was so good with the 4yo girl. She was always a big Mickey fan, but she said Donald was her favorite. The 2yo loves Rapunzel, but she lost it when it came time to meet her. She broke down in tears and was terrified, but Rapunzel was very easy going and calmed down the situation.
- There's a lot of construction going on, but as a Disney fan/nerd, it was cool to see. We caught a glimpse of the new Slinky Dog Coaster and fan boy'ed out.
- Avatar is breathtaking. I can't wait to see it at night. Sa'tuli Canteen is as good as advertised.
- It was a little stressful. I take a lot of pride in planning trips and I felt the need to appease everyone. My cousin's husband took me aside during MNSSHP when i was stressing over what to do next and told me "don't worry about appeasing everyone—you just say what you think is best and we'll roll with it." I was so worried about them having the best possible experience, but it seems like they caught the Disney "bug". They started talking about their next trip.
- After traveling with young ones, I see why my parents only brought us every 4 years, rather than annually.
