jaysmom4285
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2002
- Messages
- 2,170
I've never posted a trip report before. I read these boards a lot but don't post much, so bear with me if I don't get the format quite right
.
Day one - My husband (50) and I (49) were at WDW 1/9 - 1/12 for the land part of our land/sea vacation. We stayed at the Poly and arrived on 1/9 about 2 PM. I had read on these boards that people had experienced some inconsistent service at the Poly, but our experience was great. We were in Rapa Nui, a little far from the longhouse but convenient to TTC. We were immediately greeted and given a lei, and check in was a breeze. The room was garden view. Lagoon would have been nice, I guess, but as it turns out we really weren't in the room often enough to feel like the extra cost would have been worth it. We dropped our stuff and went to Epcot. No crowds, no lines, no waiting - it was great. We had a late lunch at the Electric Umbrella and dinner later at the Rose and Crown. I managed to time our PS just right for 8:10 PM. We were seated on the deck by the lagoon, as requested, and just as we were finishing dinner, Illuminations started. It's a perfect spot to watch from.
day two - Went to Crystal Palace for breakfast at 8 AM and spent part of the day at MK - again no lines, no waiting. I had heard someone (on this board I think) recommend staying away from MK on any given Saturday, and I guess it paid off. This is our fourth trip to WDW so we tour selectively, just doing what we know we like. Since we had no kids with us, we didn't do Fantasyland at all. Timekeeper and Carousel of Progress were closed still. We didn't stay for the afternoon parade, having seen it last year, and went back to Epcot in the afternoon to tour the World Showcase and see some of the entertainment, including the Tapestry of Nations parade, which we missed last year.
Day three - breakfast early at Captain Cook's at the Poly and then to MGM for early entry, or whatever they call it. Bus service was prompt and took us straight there. We even had to wait a little at the gates. We did Star Tours and Muppet 3-D first thing before the parks opened, then a couple our favorites, the Great Movie Ride and the Backlot Stage tour. Again, no lines, walked straight on to everything. My husband convinced me to go on the Tower of Terror, which I had passed on last trip. It was great fun and I'm glad I did it. He wanted to do the big roller coaster
(I forget the name) but I am not a roller coaster person. We had done everything we wanted to do by 1:30, and it was a warm, sunny day, so we went back to the Poly to relax by the pool for the afternoon. We ate dinner at the Kona Kafe, saw the MK fireworks from across the lagoon and watched the Electrical Water Pageant.
Day four - Disney Cruise lines provided a bus to AK and seating at the character breakfast, so we did AK in the morning. After breakfast, we went promptly to the Kilimanjaro Safaris and had a great ride - saw lots of animals - then walked the trail (again, I forget the name) where you can see more animals. There isn't much else at AK that interests us that much, so we wandered around and snacked until it was time to catch the bus to the cruise ship at 12:30.
A couple of points -
re: cheerleaders at WDW that weekend - we saw very little of them. I presume none of them stayed at the Poly, and we saw only a few at MGM and AK. I heard from someone at AK on Sunday that MK was overrun with cheerleaders on Saturday - "thousands" of them, by this person's description, and long waits for everything. I guess the advice to avoid MK on Saturdays paid off.
re: WDW marathon - the race was Sunday, 1/12, and it apparently winds through each park. It made transportation somewhat complicated - we couldn't wait for our bus to AK in front of the Poly because they weren't letting buses in that way. We had to walk to the TTC and take a circuitous route over an over pass because the marathon was going through there. Traffic seemed to be slow driving to AK, and the marathon was winding through AK that morning. In order to get to our breakfast, we had to cross the marathon path twice. CM's would hold people back til there was a small break in the runners, then we would sprint across. It was a little inconvenient but manageable. They seemed to be gone by late PM.
We loved the Poly and would stay there again. All the CM's we encountered, there and at the parks, were without exception polite and friendly.
I know I probably left some stuff out. If I can answer any questions for anyone, I'd be happy to. It was a great trip, and I have picked up a lot of tips from this board. Thanks to everone who posts here.
.
Day one - My husband (50) and I (49) were at WDW 1/9 - 1/12 for the land part of our land/sea vacation. We stayed at the Poly and arrived on 1/9 about 2 PM. I had read on these boards that people had experienced some inconsistent service at the Poly, but our experience was great. We were in Rapa Nui, a little far from the longhouse but convenient to TTC. We were immediately greeted and given a lei, and check in was a breeze. The room was garden view. Lagoon would have been nice, I guess, but as it turns out we really weren't in the room often enough to feel like the extra cost would have been worth it. We dropped our stuff and went to Epcot. No crowds, no lines, no waiting - it was great. We had a late lunch at the Electric Umbrella and dinner later at the Rose and Crown. I managed to time our PS just right for 8:10 PM. We were seated on the deck by the lagoon, as requested, and just as we were finishing dinner, Illuminations started. It's a perfect spot to watch from.
day two - Went to Crystal Palace for breakfast at 8 AM and spent part of the day at MK - again no lines, no waiting. I had heard someone (on this board I think) recommend staying away from MK on any given Saturday, and I guess it paid off. This is our fourth trip to WDW so we tour selectively, just doing what we know we like. Since we had no kids with us, we didn't do Fantasyland at all. Timekeeper and Carousel of Progress were closed still. We didn't stay for the afternoon parade, having seen it last year, and went back to Epcot in the afternoon to tour the World Showcase and see some of the entertainment, including the Tapestry of Nations parade, which we missed last year.
Day three - breakfast early at Captain Cook's at the Poly and then to MGM for early entry, or whatever they call it. Bus service was prompt and took us straight there. We even had to wait a little at the gates. We did Star Tours and Muppet 3-D first thing before the parks opened, then a couple our favorites, the Great Movie Ride and the Backlot Stage tour. Again, no lines, walked straight on to everything. My husband convinced me to go on the Tower of Terror, which I had passed on last trip. It was great fun and I'm glad I did it. He wanted to do the big roller coaster
(I forget the name) but I am not a roller coaster person. We had done everything we wanted to do by 1:30, and it was a warm, sunny day, so we went back to the Poly to relax by the pool for the afternoon. We ate dinner at the Kona Kafe, saw the MK fireworks from across the lagoon and watched the Electrical Water Pageant.
Day four - Disney Cruise lines provided a bus to AK and seating at the character breakfast, so we did AK in the morning. After breakfast, we went promptly to the Kilimanjaro Safaris and had a great ride - saw lots of animals - then walked the trail (again, I forget the name) where you can see more animals. There isn't much else at AK that interests us that much, so we wandered around and snacked until it was time to catch the bus to the cruise ship at 12:30.
A couple of points -
re: cheerleaders at WDW that weekend - we saw very little of them. I presume none of them stayed at the Poly, and we saw only a few at MGM and AK. I heard from someone at AK on Sunday that MK was overrun with cheerleaders on Saturday - "thousands" of them, by this person's description, and long waits for everything. I guess the advice to avoid MK on Saturdays paid off.
re: WDW marathon - the race was Sunday, 1/12, and it apparently winds through each park. It made transportation somewhat complicated - we couldn't wait for our bus to AK in front of the Poly because they weren't letting buses in that way. We had to walk to the TTC and take a circuitous route over an over pass because the marathon was going through there. Traffic seemed to be slow driving to AK, and the marathon was winding through AK that morning. In order to get to our breakfast, we had to cross the marathon path twice. CM's would hold people back til there was a small break in the runners, then we would sprint across. It was a little inconvenient but manageable. They seemed to be gone by late PM.
We loved the Poly and would stay there again. All the CM's we encountered, there and at the parks, were without exception polite and friendly.
I know I probably left some stuff out. If I can answer any questions for anyone, I'd be happy to. It was a great trip, and I have picked up a lot of tips from this board. Thanks to everone who posts here.
