BlinkingSpirit
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2005
- Messages
- 2
The Gwinnitians do WDW
A short review of our first family trip to Disney.
*Also posted on TGM
Mom (Me) 30ish
Dad, (DH) 40ish
Boo, (DD) 3 and ½ ish
Pookie, (DD) 11ish
The Mistake (My mother) 50ish..but going on 80.
8 nights at the Polynesian on the Dining Plan. May 25th to June 2nd.
Technically our first family trip to WDW, I had gone to WDW about 10 years ago, for one day, stayed offsite.
A note about the Mistake. We sometimes take my mother on family vacations. Normally she complains little and helps with the kids a lot. The last few years this has slowly changed. This trip she didnt have anything nice to say about anything, complained everyday and was of little help. Still love her but wont take her again anytime soon.
First, I want to thank all those on DIS and TGM who post. You provided invaluable information and advice and I thank all of you for contributing to my trip.
I thought at first to make this a long detailed day-by-day report of our trip. Then I got busy so Im going for the abbreviated version.
We stayed at the Polynesian, Aoteoroa building 1st floor. Exactly what I requested. A big thank you to Shelia at Poly for getting me what I wanted.
Loved the Poly. Everyone was great. Loved the grounds, Very Lush. The room was huge and the people were all nice. So great to watch Wishes every night. (We did watch once from MK but it was better at Poly).
MK. Good gravy it gets packed. We did one morning, two evenings. Go mornings for Fantasyland. It gets crowded fast. Thanks to advice, we got to see all the rides and shows we wanted. No waits longer than 20 minutes, except Space Mountain and only then because it broke down. We waited 40 minutes.
Animal Kingdom. None of us liked this park. Now to give the park some credit. We skipped out before we used our fastpasses to the Safari (We gave them to someone else). We did not ride Kali River Rapids. (I have horrible luck and the line was long) We did ride Expedition Everest (Fastpass). We walked around. We ate at Tusker House, (good meal) but the park was soooo crowded and hot and it seemed we didnt really have enough to do and see. This was also the only park that seemed to have a large share of surly guests. People were just rude here.
Epcot. 3 visits, one for Future World. Saw the big attractions. Ehh. They were O.K. We Fastpassed and never waited long. We did World Showcase another day. Liked it more. Probably would have liked it better without the Mistake, who seemed on a mission to find the next smoking spot constantly and one visit for Illuminations. Which was cool.
MGM Studios. We all really liked this park. It didnt seem overly large. I really liked the Sci Fi Diner (Lunch). I was worried because of reviews but everyone had a good meal and a good time. We came back in the evening to see Fantasmic. It was also great. I do wish they had a bit more of the Little Einsteins as my Boo really loves them. We did meet June though. I was hoping they would have some new toys there for her upcoming Bday and didnt see anything.
Downtown Disney. Better than I expected for a shopping plaza. We went twice, once to scope, once to buy.
Fantasia Golf. Nice course. Hot. We went early. It was still hot but we enjoyed it. (The Mistake stayed at the Hotel)
The Boardwalk. So pretty. Thought it would be bigger though.
A few words on the Dining Plan. A lot of food. A bunch. Tons. Except Buffets and 1 Character meal (LTT) we only ordered one kiddie CS or TS for Boo. After the first day, we usually only ordered 3 CS or TS meals. It was enough. On the last day we used our last TS for takeout Bfast at Kona and the last 3 CS for lunch on the road home. We had no problems using snacks. We drink a lot..Coke Water, Lemonade. We used it on Bagels and Donuts and whatever else we could when the kids complained they were hungry between meals. We ate at places we would have never eaten at otherwise and the convenience was great. It did pay for itself but I would have to really think about it before I would buy it again.
In General, We loved the trip. Pookie loved MGM and liked the rest enough to have a good time. She was a bit disappointed that there were not as many thrill rides as she expected but soon overlooked that and enjoyed herself. Boo loved the characters. A bit shy but not scared and hubby liked it enough and is now interested in the cruise (Yeah!). We loved, loved staying onsite. It was just so easy to go everywhere. Boo loved the monorail, we loved the boat. We never used the buses but even driving was fast. Cant imagine staying offsite now.
Thats it. If you have any questions, Ill answer the best I can.
BlinkingSpirit
A short review of our first family trip to Disney.
*Also posted on TGM
Mom (Me) 30ish
Dad, (DH) 40ish
Boo, (DD) 3 and ½ ish
Pookie, (DD) 11ish
The Mistake (My mother) 50ish..but going on 80.
8 nights at the Polynesian on the Dining Plan. May 25th to June 2nd.
Technically our first family trip to WDW, I had gone to WDW about 10 years ago, for one day, stayed offsite.
A note about the Mistake. We sometimes take my mother on family vacations. Normally she complains little and helps with the kids a lot. The last few years this has slowly changed. This trip she didnt have anything nice to say about anything, complained everyday and was of little help. Still love her but wont take her again anytime soon.
First, I want to thank all those on DIS and TGM who post. You provided invaluable information and advice and I thank all of you for contributing to my trip.
I thought at first to make this a long detailed day-by-day report of our trip. Then I got busy so Im going for the abbreviated version.
We stayed at the Polynesian, Aoteoroa building 1st floor. Exactly what I requested. A big thank you to Shelia at Poly for getting me what I wanted.
Loved the Poly. Everyone was great. Loved the grounds, Very Lush. The room was huge and the people were all nice. So great to watch Wishes every night. (We did watch once from MK but it was better at Poly).
MK. Good gravy it gets packed. We did one morning, two evenings. Go mornings for Fantasyland. It gets crowded fast. Thanks to advice, we got to see all the rides and shows we wanted. No waits longer than 20 minutes, except Space Mountain and only then because it broke down. We waited 40 minutes.
Animal Kingdom. None of us liked this park. Now to give the park some credit. We skipped out before we used our fastpasses to the Safari (We gave them to someone else). We did not ride Kali River Rapids. (I have horrible luck and the line was long) We did ride Expedition Everest (Fastpass). We walked around. We ate at Tusker House, (good meal) but the park was soooo crowded and hot and it seemed we didnt really have enough to do and see. This was also the only park that seemed to have a large share of surly guests. People were just rude here.
Epcot. 3 visits, one for Future World. Saw the big attractions. Ehh. They were O.K. We Fastpassed and never waited long. We did World Showcase another day. Liked it more. Probably would have liked it better without the Mistake, who seemed on a mission to find the next smoking spot constantly and one visit for Illuminations. Which was cool.
MGM Studios. We all really liked this park. It didnt seem overly large. I really liked the Sci Fi Diner (Lunch). I was worried because of reviews but everyone had a good meal and a good time. We came back in the evening to see Fantasmic. It was also great. I do wish they had a bit more of the Little Einsteins as my Boo really loves them. We did meet June though. I was hoping they would have some new toys there for her upcoming Bday and didnt see anything.
Downtown Disney. Better than I expected for a shopping plaza. We went twice, once to scope, once to buy.
Fantasia Golf. Nice course. Hot. We went early. It was still hot but we enjoyed it. (The Mistake stayed at the Hotel)
The Boardwalk. So pretty. Thought it would be bigger though.
A few words on the Dining Plan. A lot of food. A bunch. Tons. Except Buffets and 1 Character meal (LTT) we only ordered one kiddie CS or TS for Boo. After the first day, we usually only ordered 3 CS or TS meals. It was enough. On the last day we used our last TS for takeout Bfast at Kona and the last 3 CS for lunch on the road home. We had no problems using snacks. We drink a lot..Coke Water, Lemonade. We used it on Bagels and Donuts and whatever else we could when the kids complained they were hungry between meals. We ate at places we would have never eaten at otherwise and the convenience was great. It did pay for itself but I would have to really think about it before I would buy it again.
In General, We loved the trip. Pookie loved MGM and liked the rest enough to have a good time. She was a bit disappointed that there were not as many thrill rides as she expected but soon overlooked that and enjoyed herself. Boo loved the characters. A bit shy but not scared and hubby liked it enough and is now interested in the cruise (Yeah!). We loved, loved staying onsite. It was just so easy to go everywhere. Boo loved the monorail, we loved the boat. We never used the buses but even driving was fast. Cant imagine staying offsite now.
Thats it. If you have any questions, Ill answer the best I can.
BlinkingSpirit
