JustLoveDisney said:
I called and made my reservations for SOG last week and they let me know about their dining package offer. Has anyone used it? Find it worth it? How was the food at their resturants?
Also I read a few posts that they walked to the Poly to catch the monrail. How far was the walk? Did you go to the Poly for dining at all?
Let's see what else how was the pool? aafes shop? Anything else?
Haven't been to WDW since 99 or 98 can't remember which. It'll be my son's first trip and will be a total surprise. I just love tax returns
Okay, let me try to answer these... we were at SoG in Jun 04, so my answers will reflect that time period:
*Dining offer - I declined; it only includes their on-site restaurants, two meals a day - one breakfast or lunch each day and one dinner. From what I recall, you only get one at Mangino's, the rest at the Garden Gallery buffet or Evergreen's.
Evergreen's was pretty good, we thought. About on a par with what you'd get at a TGI Friday's, Bennigan's, etc.
The Garden Gallery's breakfast buffet had plenty for everyone, even the most picky eaters. Of course, being one of those most picky eaters, I played it safe and ordered a la carte (both because I wanted specific things made fresh, and because I knew I wouldn't eat that much for breakfast). We didn't eat dinner in there.
*AAFES store - not bad, the stuff is Disney branded, but not Disney World branded. Great if your kiddos are younger and won't know the difference
. You won't find merchandise sold at the parks, but you will find snacks, toiletries, etc. at Shoppette prices rather than resort prices, which is a plus. They also had beer & wine.
*Walk to the Poly - maybe 10-15 minutes, depending on how much you dawdle? Definitely can be done in ~10 minutes if walking briskly... if your kiddos tend to see it as a nature hike, could take longer, but that's half the fun of vacation!
*Meals at the Poly - we only ate there once, in their little hamburger shop (can't even remember what it was called). It was okay, just typical counter service... we really wanted to have a meal there but just ran out of time.
*Pools - beautiful pools, great hot tub which seemed very well maintained. My main concern was that there were no lifeguards. Although both my husband and I are good swimmers, we didn't let our daughter swim past the 5 foot depth, which irritated her a bit, since she can swim, but we didn't want to have to rely upon ourselves to save her should she hit her head, panic, etc.
I'm guessing your son is a toddler. If so, you will absolutely love the grounds. They are like a huge, wonderful park to explore... tons for little ones (and not so little ones!). My mom took my then 13yo BIL and 8yo DD
on multiple nature walks, which they just loved.
If you have any other questions, I'll try to help!
