Just Got Back - 11/25 - 11/29

[MonorailDriver]

I just got back from a Thanksgiving trip and have to say the magic is still there 100% and then some! This was close to, if not the best trip I can remember in a while. I thought the crowds were pretty manageable for the most part, only once or twice did i feel really overwhelmed, but by Saturday night and into Sunday it was really starting to thin out. It was my first time at the Poly and I loved it, completely sold on that being my new favorite resort.

Both restaurants Ohana and Kona, I thought, were outstanding, love the decorations, love the lobby and of course love the room. We had an MK view and could see the fireworks, it was great. On Sunday at rope drop we got to ride double Big Thunder Mountain because I guess everyone ran to Space Mountain.

This brings me to my first of only two complaints, Space Mountain broke down at least 3 times over the weekend. We were actually on line one of the times it broke and got a fastpass good for whenever we wanted for whatever ride we wanted, which was good and I used the next morning on the Spance Mountain. This means I am no longer complaining about it, I just wish I could have ridden it more then once.

The other other thing I couldn't wrap my head around was the Brown Derby. We made an ADR there for Thanksgiving dinner 3 months out like your supposed to. There were 8 of us and they had us sitting at 2 tables of 4, plus it counts as 2 meals in our dining plan for each person. Dont get me wrong, the food was good, but Kona was better and so was Liberty Tree Tavern and for that matter so was Ohana and all of those were 1 point restaurants. We didn't use this meal as a dining plan meal b/c of this but we were all really upset about the table setup.

Anyway like I said earlier, it was a fantastic trip, as good as I can remember and while we were at the airport and on the way home we already started discussion were to stay next Thanksgiving!

 

[TJA]

It sounds wonderful! Thanks for posting. We're off to the Poly next Easter and can't wait! We are doing the deluxe dining plan and I considered booking Brown Derby but then I never seem to read much positives about that place, so I booked 50's PT instead. Could you wear shorts/Tshirts most days or was it relatively too cool. Were you able to enjoy the pool? Anyway, happy planning for your next trip!

 

[MonorailDriver]

The weather was pretty good, it was cool at night all four nights, but I was in shorts the whole time. I did wear a sweatshirt at once the sun went down and I think on Friday for most of the day. It was sunny all four days and was raining when we got there, Wednesday, but it was gone by the morning on Thanksgiving.

 

[GovieMom]

Thanks for the report! We'll be staying at the Poly for the first time too, and really looking forward to it. I had also considered a meal at the Brown Derby, but wasn't sure it was worth 2 TS credits, so I didn't book it. Thanks for confirming my suspicions! When you mentioned the food being better at LTT, was that for lunch or dinner? Because we've had lunch there and thought it was great, but will be trying dinner for the first time on our next trip, and was hoping it will be just as good. Thanks again!

 

[MonorailDriver]

I was talking LTT for dinner. I like the family style dining better, especially because there were 8 of us there, makes it easier for everyone to get as much as they want, as long as everyone is hungry for a Thanksgiving meal.

 

[GovieMom]

Thanks again; we do like Thanksgiving food. And as long as they still serve beef with it, all the better!

 

[Hallowishes]

im super jazzed to hear you had a terrific and magical trip with all the reports on here lately of less than magical experiences, i was getting a bit nervous for my january trip! it stinks to hear there were some problems with space mountain but that is probably just due to the fact that it recently reopened and the crowd levels this time of year.

 

[puffkins]

How was Space Mountain? Did the refurbishment change the feeling of the ride at all? I have read about the staging area/queue being somewhat different but how was the ride itself?

I've been going to WDW since I was a child in the 70s and I hope they did not alter the actual roller coaster too much. Thanks.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Trip Reports board.

 

[MonorailDriver]

the coaster itself was the same, I loved it...the changes were in the queue mostly and it was darker, much darker then I remember. I remember being able to see shadows and bits of things that were in front of you before, now you have no idea whats going on in front of you...it was great!