ChrisnKim913
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2006
- Messages
- 724
We just got back from taking our 1 1/2 year old to Disney for the first time and what a blast we had!!! We stayed in a Deluxe Studio at the Polynesian and had the Deluxe Dining Plan and Memory Maker. Here are some thoughts/observations about the trip
* There is nothing like seeing Disney through a child's eyes. She did not have one meltdown but we also took a mid day break every day. Staying at the Polynesian was probably one of the best decisions we could have made. Very convenient being on the monorail, especially with a little one. I believe the mid day breaks were extremely important in how well the vacation went
* The Polynesian Villas are awesome! Very spacious and having two bathrooms really helps with getting ready. We stayed in Tokelau and I thought it was a great location. I heard people complaining about there not being any coverage for when it rains, but I just walked through the longhouses. No big deal at all. We also used the parking lot just off to the right from the security gate (in front of Pago Pago). Very convenient!!
* On to the dining plan... Would I use the Deluxe Dining Plan again? Probably not. It really is a lot of food and I would probably just use the regular dining plan next time. Your day is really planned all around the ADR's and it can get a little frustrating at times.
* Service... I know this has been a hot topic lately. Almost every cast member we encountered at the parks and at the Poly were great! Now at the restaurants, that's another story. The Boathouse was ridiculous! It took over 15 minutes just for our server to come to our table to take our drink order. The place was fairly empty also. People around us were being waited on but not us. This was the biggest disappointment of the trip. We have been to 'Ohana about 8 times for dinner and this time was by far the worst service. Our waitress just seemed way too overwhelmed and confused. It got to the point where I asked to not even bring the shrimp out and just go to dessert because it was taking way too long. We were seated at 5 and by 6 we still didn't get to the steak or shrimp skewers. People who were seated 15 minutes after us were already done with their meals. Very disappointing. I will say the best meal and dining experience of the trip was Tutto Italia. It was fantastic!! Great service and phenomenal food. We also had a great server at Tusker House for breakfast. He was very good at explaining things and letting us know when characters would be coming.
* Memory Maker... Probably the best purchase we could have made. With this being our daughters first trip we really felt Memory maker was important. I could not be more happier that we bought it because we have some fantastic pictures. We really made sure to stop places and take pictures and it was great at the character meet and greets. Usually the pictures are on My Disney experience right after they are taken. Highly recommend!!
* Crowds are crazy. This is just something everyone will have to get used to. And with more stuff closing and experiences being cut, it will only get worse. I will say after it rained we went to EPCOT and it was great! That park is just so beautiful and was nice to just stroll around and get some drinks and enjoy the scenery. This was our first time dealing with stroller parking and wow... the words Fantasyland and Stroller Parking together makes my skin crawl lol.
Overall we had the best vacation we ever had. We do have AP's so we will be going more, but for our child's first visit it was amazing. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask
* There is nothing like seeing Disney through a child's eyes. She did not have one meltdown but we also took a mid day break every day. Staying at the Polynesian was probably one of the best decisions we could have made. Very convenient being on the monorail, especially with a little one. I believe the mid day breaks were extremely important in how well the vacation went
* The Polynesian Villas are awesome! Very spacious and having two bathrooms really helps with getting ready. We stayed in Tokelau and I thought it was a great location. I heard people complaining about there not being any coverage for when it rains, but I just walked through the longhouses. No big deal at all. We also used the parking lot just off to the right from the security gate (in front of Pago Pago). Very convenient!!
* On to the dining plan... Would I use the Deluxe Dining Plan again? Probably not. It really is a lot of food and I would probably just use the regular dining plan next time. Your day is really planned all around the ADR's and it can get a little frustrating at times.
* Service... I know this has been a hot topic lately. Almost every cast member we encountered at the parks and at the Poly were great! Now at the restaurants, that's another story. The Boathouse was ridiculous! It took over 15 minutes just for our server to come to our table to take our drink order. The place was fairly empty also. People around us were being waited on but not us. This was the biggest disappointment of the trip. We have been to 'Ohana about 8 times for dinner and this time was by far the worst service. Our waitress just seemed way too overwhelmed and confused. It got to the point where I asked to not even bring the shrimp out and just go to dessert because it was taking way too long. We were seated at 5 and by 6 we still didn't get to the steak or shrimp skewers. People who were seated 15 minutes after us were already done with their meals. Very disappointing. I will say the best meal and dining experience of the trip was Tutto Italia. It was fantastic!! Great service and phenomenal food. We also had a great server at Tusker House for breakfast. He was very good at explaining things and letting us know when characters would be coming.
* Memory Maker... Probably the best purchase we could have made. With this being our daughters first trip we really felt Memory maker was important. I could not be more happier that we bought it because we have some fantastic pictures. We really made sure to stop places and take pictures and it was great at the character meet and greets. Usually the pictures are on My Disney experience right after they are taken. Highly recommend!!
* Crowds are crazy. This is just something everyone will have to get used to. And with more stuff closing and experiences being cut, it will only get worse. I will say after it rained we went to EPCOT and it was great! That park is just so beautiful and was nice to just stroll around and get some drinks and enjoy the scenery. This was our first time dealing with stroller parking and wow... the words Fantasyland and Stroller Parking together makes my skin crawl lol.
Overall we had the best vacation we ever had. We do have AP's so we will be going more, but for our child's first visit it was amazing. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask
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