Resort Reviews-1st ever onsite resort stay
Sat. Feb. 1-Mon. Feb. 3===POLYNESIAN!!!
We self parked and walked in to check in. The GCH is impressive. It was about 1PM and the room was ready. The check-in guy wasnt friendly, but one of the other CMs in the GCH interacted with my DH because of a Hawaiian slogan on his shirt. I asked for and received 3rd floor Tokelau although it was strictly a garden view room. I was hoping for a slight peek at the castle from the balcony but the view of the gardens is definitely nothing to sneeze at. Bell services drove us to our car .loaded up our bags .gave us a short tour of the grounds and drove us to our rooms. NICE ROOMS!! So big!!! Loved the balcony. Very clean. Showed no signs of wear, and I did not smell anything bad.
We settled down to watch the coverage of the Columbia disaster, as we had just heard about it on the radio on the drive down. After resolving to venture out and find some fun we roamed and explored a bit on our short walk to the GCH. We ate lunch at Kona. Ill write a dining review, but just want to say that it was one of our best meals the whole trip. Good food. Good service. Good view of the monorail. GREAT introduction. We toured the other monorail resorts. I had never visited ANY WDW resort. The GF is beautiful, but Im just NOT sure that we would fall in the love with that place either. After visiting and exploring the CR, Im really thinking that this could possibly become our favorite monorail resort. The pool really didnt catch me, but I love being in the tower of that place. It feels so happening and the place to be. Of course I would hope that the rooms would be as well maintained and as acceptable as the Polys. We got to ride up front of the monorail from the CR station back to the Poly. That helped feed our love of CR ..LOL .I think its all about first impressions and personal preference. I never thought that I would enjoy my visit to the CR so much.
We explored the grounds of the Polynesian a bit more and then had dinner at Ohanas. Ill add more on the restaurants thread, but I didnt fall in love with this place. It was acceptable. Having a view of the fireworks with the music piped in helped, and the CM (Jeff?) was GREAT and funny, but the meal was just OK. We shopped, explored, and went down to the beach for the EWP. It was a bit breezy that night, and I KNOW that if it had been a TAD warmer ..we probably would have fallen in love with having that glorious beach. It just really didnt do too much for us.
The next day, I ordered the Tonga Toast from room service (we were trying to make EE and couldnt get a PS at Kona until 7:30), and I did not like the Tonga Toast at all. Whats wrong with me? LOL .It was way too rich for me. But then we took the monorail to the MK .WHICH WAS GLORIOUS, and returned to the resort about 5 PM. We unknowingly made a bad decision to take the boat back to the Polynesian instead of the monorail. Guess what? We had to fold up the stroller. My DH was not a happy camper. It was easier to just do that though rather than get back out of line and go to the monorail. (The ferry to the TTC would have even been a wiser choice too, but we had essentially already committed to the Polynesian boat by the time that I thought about it). At 7 PM, we traveled down to the beach to watch the fireworks, but ..we had to watch them without the music. I thought that I had read that they piped out the music on the beach for the fireworks. Since the MK closed at 7 PM .we feared that transportation to and from Wilderness Lodge would leave us stranded (we were trying to avoid bus rides), so we drove over for dinner at Artist Point. WL was impressive but Im not sure about staying there either.
The next day we woke up and got a quick breakfast bite from Captain Cooks and then walked the short walk to the TTC and took the Epcot monorail loop .just because I had never done it before (this was a non-park day for us). The convenience was WONDERFUL. We got to use the volcano pool. My DH loved the slide. My daughter and I then played on the beach. She played in the sand while I relaxed in a hammock and admired the view of MK nice .very nice. We requested and received a late check out of 1 PM.
Over all .I was happy with the Polynesian. I got a clean room and grounds, beautiful landscaping, polite CMs, and WONDERFUL transportation. I am almost certain that if the weather had been more tropical that I may have fallen in love with this place after all, but I think it came down to the fact that nothing magical happened while I was there (a hot tub would have been nice too .LOL). I cant imagine anyone finding anything to complain about at this resort though. Completely acceptable . just not completely heavenly either. If I ever stayed there again I would probably get 1st floor, lagoon view, and stay in a summer month. That may all help. You know what else? We never found a playground there. Did I just miss it? While I found the CMs polite, I didnt find them to be friendly. Hmmmm Completely acceptable though.
Mon. Feb. 3- Thurs. Feb. 6===BOARDWALK VILLAS!!!!
I rented points off of a DVCer and I got a FABULOUS DEAL!!! You could not beat the price for the location and convenience of this resort. It would be very hard to complain about anything for the price that I paid LOL. We checked in close to 2 PM and the room was ready. Again the check-in lady was NOT friendly, but certainly not rude. We got our luggage into the room and found it close to the elevators (as requested), on the top floor (as requested), and even with a view of some of Epcot and the high Illuminations fireworks (as requested). As good as it gets for a standard view studio I would think. The room again was great. Clean with no problems. A fridge (very much appreciated), kitchen sink, microwave, coffeemaker (very much appreciated), paper plates, bowls, and plastic utensils. The sink was outside the bathroom. Only one queen and a couch though, so we squeezed my 2 yo DD in the queen with us. If it would have been a king .it would have been perfect and I would never have left. They would have had to have thrown me out.
We walked to explore the Yacht and Beach Club. We ate at Beaches N Cream (we found it just OK), and then took the boat back to the boardwalk. My DH went down to the hot tub at the quiet pool (I couldnt find him), so DD and I played at the Luna Pool. She found the Kiddie pool and playground to be very fun there. My DH and DD were neither feeling tip top so I let them nap the evening away. I explored the whole grounds of the boardwalk and found the cottages so neat and charming. I was tempted to stop in Community Hall, but never did make it. I checked out the lounge and the stores on the boardwalk. I walked over to the Swan and Dolphin bridge (wish I would have explored them too), and was at Sunset point when the fireworks started going off, so I ventured over to the International Gateway to see how long of a walk it was ..AMAZINGLY SHORT. I was certain that the fireworks would have awoken the troops so I ventured back up the room after a short stop at the bakery for breakfast for tomorrow and a refillable mug purchase. My DH was not doing too good so DD and I slipped out and enjoyed the boardwalk and entertainers a bit. We got take out from Spoodles and ate it on our balcony HEAVENLY!!
The next day we took the boat to MGM for EE delightful trip. My family still needed to rest a bit so they took the boat ride back and I stayed and enjoyed MGM by myself .HOW GREAT IS THAT??? I got to do things that I never would have gotten to do because someone in my party would have rather left. I took the boat back to the resort about 2:30-3:00 and had too long of a nap and then we tried to salvage what was left of the evening at Epcot so we took the boat over there. We were ready to leave before Illuminations, though, so we took the boat back and watched Illuminations from our balcony. Another stop at the bakery for breakfast and to refill the mug and then we all retired early.
The next day we started at Epcot for EE. LOVED entering International Gateway and walking through an empty World Showcase. We stayed too long at Epcot and wanted to catch the 3:30 parade at MGM so we took the boat straight to MGM from Epcot (which again was nice). We watched Fantasmic and left to find a long wait at the dock. It was much quicker to walk, and that walk was so pleasant. We didnt mind it at all. SO NICE!! We again watched the fireworks form our balcony. Our DD wasnt feeling great tonight, so we ordered take out from ESPN which was fine, and then retired. We checked out the next morning by 11 AM, but lingered around Luna Pool and then the boardwalk for a bit before going off site for a few days.
I really liked the Boardwalk villas. Nothing magical really happened here either, but I really enjoyed the convenience to Epcot, MGM and the Boardwalk so much. I just like the activity here I guess. Im sure that Yacht and Beach and Dolphin and Swan would be just as desirable to me. I would probably stay at any one of them with cost being the only deciding factor. The Villas, though cant be beat because of the kitchen facilities. So nice!
The EE privilege is a HUGE benefit for staying onsite. I think that I would seriously have a problem trying to convince my DH to stay onsite without it. The monorail and boat/walking is the second HUGE benefit. We have a stroller, and I detest the idea of the buses and parking/trams with that thing. Other than that though I really have no problem with staying off-site. Its not a sure thing with me that I will always stay on-site. From now on Ill just weigh price vs. convenience and make my decision from there. I really think that those are the only 2 benefits. I wasnt blown away by Disneys resorts. Im not sure what I missed Was it just heightened expectations?
All in all acceptable but not magical.
Sat. Feb. 1-Mon. Feb. 3===POLYNESIAN!!!
We self parked and walked in to check in. The GCH is impressive. It was about 1PM and the room was ready. The check-in guy wasnt friendly, but one of the other CMs in the GCH interacted with my DH because of a Hawaiian slogan on his shirt. I asked for and received 3rd floor Tokelau although it was strictly a garden view room. I was hoping for a slight peek at the castle from the balcony but the view of the gardens is definitely nothing to sneeze at. Bell services drove us to our car .loaded up our bags .gave us a short tour of the grounds and drove us to our rooms. NICE ROOMS!! So big!!! Loved the balcony. Very clean. Showed no signs of wear, and I did not smell anything bad.
We settled down to watch the coverage of the Columbia disaster, as we had just heard about it on the radio on the drive down. After resolving to venture out and find some fun we roamed and explored a bit on our short walk to the GCH. We ate lunch at Kona. Ill write a dining review, but just want to say that it was one of our best meals the whole trip. Good food. Good service. Good view of the monorail. GREAT introduction. We toured the other monorail resorts. I had never visited ANY WDW resort. The GF is beautiful, but Im just NOT sure that we would fall in the love with that place either. After visiting and exploring the CR, Im really thinking that this could possibly become our favorite monorail resort. The pool really didnt catch me, but I love being in the tower of that place. It feels so happening and the place to be. Of course I would hope that the rooms would be as well maintained and as acceptable as the Polys. We got to ride up front of the monorail from the CR station back to the Poly. That helped feed our love of CR ..LOL .I think its all about first impressions and personal preference. I never thought that I would enjoy my visit to the CR so much.
We explored the grounds of the Polynesian a bit more and then had dinner at Ohanas. Ill add more on the restaurants thread, but I didnt fall in love with this place. It was acceptable. Having a view of the fireworks with the music piped in helped, and the CM (Jeff?) was GREAT and funny, but the meal was just OK. We shopped, explored, and went down to the beach for the EWP. It was a bit breezy that night, and I KNOW that if it had been a TAD warmer ..we probably would have fallen in love with having that glorious beach. It just really didnt do too much for us.
The next day, I ordered the Tonga Toast from room service (we were trying to make EE and couldnt get a PS at Kona until 7:30), and I did not like the Tonga Toast at all. Whats wrong with me? LOL .It was way too rich for me. But then we took the monorail to the MK .WHICH WAS GLORIOUS, and returned to the resort about 5 PM. We unknowingly made a bad decision to take the boat back to the Polynesian instead of the monorail. Guess what? We had to fold up the stroller. My DH was not a happy camper. It was easier to just do that though rather than get back out of line and go to the monorail. (The ferry to the TTC would have even been a wiser choice too, but we had essentially already committed to the Polynesian boat by the time that I thought about it). At 7 PM, we traveled down to the beach to watch the fireworks, but ..we had to watch them without the music. I thought that I had read that they piped out the music on the beach for the fireworks. Since the MK closed at 7 PM .we feared that transportation to and from Wilderness Lodge would leave us stranded (we were trying to avoid bus rides), so we drove over for dinner at Artist Point. WL was impressive but Im not sure about staying there either.
The next day we woke up and got a quick breakfast bite from Captain Cooks and then walked the short walk to the TTC and took the Epcot monorail loop .just because I had never done it before (this was a non-park day for us). The convenience was WONDERFUL. We got to use the volcano pool. My DH loved the slide. My daughter and I then played on the beach. She played in the sand while I relaxed in a hammock and admired the view of MK nice .very nice. We requested and received a late check out of 1 PM.
Over all .I was happy with the Polynesian. I got a clean room and grounds, beautiful landscaping, polite CMs, and WONDERFUL transportation. I am almost certain that if the weather had been more tropical that I may have fallen in love with this place after all, but I think it came down to the fact that nothing magical happened while I was there (a hot tub would have been nice too .LOL). I cant imagine anyone finding anything to complain about at this resort though. Completely acceptable . just not completely heavenly either. If I ever stayed there again I would probably get 1st floor, lagoon view, and stay in a summer month. That may all help. You know what else? We never found a playground there. Did I just miss it? While I found the CMs polite, I didnt find them to be friendly. Hmmmm Completely acceptable though.
Mon. Feb. 3- Thurs. Feb. 6===BOARDWALK VILLAS!!!!
I rented points off of a DVCer and I got a FABULOUS DEAL!!! You could not beat the price for the location and convenience of this resort. It would be very hard to complain about anything for the price that I paid LOL. We checked in close to 2 PM and the room was ready. Again the check-in lady was NOT friendly, but certainly not rude. We got our luggage into the room and found it close to the elevators (as requested), on the top floor (as requested), and even with a view of some of Epcot and the high Illuminations fireworks (as requested). As good as it gets for a standard view studio I would think. The room again was great. Clean with no problems. A fridge (very much appreciated), kitchen sink, microwave, coffeemaker (very much appreciated), paper plates, bowls, and plastic utensils. The sink was outside the bathroom. Only one queen and a couch though, so we squeezed my 2 yo DD in the queen with us. If it would have been a king .it would have been perfect and I would never have left. They would have had to have thrown me out.
We walked to explore the Yacht and Beach Club. We ate at Beaches N Cream (we found it just OK), and then took the boat back to the boardwalk. My DH went down to the hot tub at the quiet pool (I couldnt find him), so DD and I played at the Luna Pool. She found the Kiddie pool and playground to be very fun there. My DH and DD were neither feeling tip top so I let them nap the evening away. I explored the whole grounds of the boardwalk and found the cottages so neat and charming. I was tempted to stop in Community Hall, but never did make it. I checked out the lounge and the stores on the boardwalk. I walked over to the Swan and Dolphin bridge (wish I would have explored them too), and was at Sunset point when the fireworks started going off, so I ventured over to the International Gateway to see how long of a walk it was ..AMAZINGLY SHORT. I was certain that the fireworks would have awoken the troops so I ventured back up the room after a short stop at the bakery for breakfast for tomorrow and a refillable mug purchase. My DH was not doing too good so DD and I slipped out and enjoyed the boardwalk and entertainers a bit. We got take out from Spoodles and ate it on our balcony HEAVENLY!!
The next day we took the boat to MGM for EE delightful trip. My family still needed to rest a bit so they took the boat ride back and I stayed and enjoyed MGM by myself .HOW GREAT IS THAT??? I got to do things that I never would have gotten to do because someone in my party would have rather left. I took the boat back to the resort about 2:30-3:00 and had too long of a nap and then we tried to salvage what was left of the evening at Epcot so we took the boat over there. We were ready to leave before Illuminations, though, so we took the boat back and watched Illuminations from our balcony. Another stop at the bakery for breakfast and to refill the mug and then we all retired early.
The next day we started at Epcot for EE. LOVED entering International Gateway and walking through an empty World Showcase. We stayed too long at Epcot and wanted to catch the 3:30 parade at MGM so we took the boat straight to MGM from Epcot (which again was nice). We watched Fantasmic and left to find a long wait at the dock. It was much quicker to walk, and that walk was so pleasant. We didnt mind it at all. SO NICE!! We again watched the fireworks form our balcony. Our DD wasnt feeling great tonight, so we ordered take out from ESPN which was fine, and then retired. We checked out the next morning by 11 AM, but lingered around Luna Pool and then the boardwalk for a bit before going off site for a few days.
I really liked the Boardwalk villas. Nothing magical really happened here either, but I really enjoyed the convenience to Epcot, MGM and the Boardwalk so much. I just like the activity here I guess. Im sure that Yacht and Beach and Dolphin and Swan would be just as desirable to me. I would probably stay at any one of them with cost being the only deciding factor. The Villas, though cant be beat because of the kitchen facilities. So nice!
The EE privilege is a HUGE benefit for staying onsite. I think that I would seriously have a problem trying to convince my DH to stay onsite without it. The monorail and boat/walking is the second HUGE benefit. We have a stroller, and I detest the idea of the buses and parking/trams with that thing. Other than that though I really have no problem with staying off-site. Its not a sure thing with me that I will always stay on-site. From now on Ill just weigh price vs. convenience and make my decision from there. I really think that those are the only 2 benefits. I wasnt blown away by Disneys resorts. Im not sure what I missed Was it just heightened expectations?
All in all acceptable but not magical.
