Disney World-Polynesian - BackPacks and Fruit Snacks

Visiting Disney World

Where to even begin here? Well the person that made this all happen was my husband. Even though I think he would have been fine with never going, he started saving years in advance while I started the planning.

We had the resort booked, every meal reserved, the parks planned out and the fast passes of course down to date and time. I had itineraries for each day down to 15 minute increments…..then that bitch Irma starting taking form in September 2017.

As I am crying into my pillow the days leading up to what was going to be our departure, my husband reassures me everything will be fine. Everyday we are checking the anticipated hurricane paths, they are all worthless. Then we get the most devastating news we didn’t even think possible, Disney World is closing for 2 days when we were going to be arriving. I have checked out at this point. In swoops my knight in shining armour. He carefully studies the weather maps. Then gets on the phone with the Polynesian who is more than happy to help slightly rearrange things given the circumstances.

We ended up waiting for the worst of the hurricane to pass through Florida and then we started our road trip down. We neglected to plan for all the power outages appropriately. Where there is no power, there are no working gas pumps! We finally coasted into Disney World as the sun made an appearance for the first time all day. The park itself was still closed but there was a party in the lobby with Pluto and Stitch as soon as we arrived.

Rooms

The rooms were a good size. I won’t be posting any pictures as ours looked like hurricane Irma had gone through it. This was by no fault of the hotel, just that we were tired and messy. The bathroom had a big tub which is always nice with little kids. There were double vanities as well. They were not super luxurious or modern but were very nice and did the job.

Transportation

Location is huge! This was the main reason we stayed at the Polynesian. We went to the Magic Kingdom almost everyday. We would usually take the monorail over there and take the water taxi back. Then we took the buses to the other parks.

monorail on way to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Food

This is tough. We did the Club level at the Polynesian and mixed in some character dining. I don’t think it worked well for my husband. He did appreciate the available beer at the Club Level but the small bites just weren’t enough. Breakfast worked fine for all. I mean….it was no breakfast buffet but it had all we needed. There was oatmeal, cereal, toast, bagels, yogurt, coffee, juices, and fruit. The kids loved watching the fireworks from the club lounge at night and eating the mini desserts. OK, OK it was me! I enjoyed 6 mini plates of the little desserts at night.

It was nice to be able to go grab a Sprite or a snack such as veggies and dip whenever we wanted. However, when we go back I have a feeling this won’t work for my growing boys. Plus I think we won’t have to do character dining anymore (YESSSSS!!!!). We will probably have to look at meal plans in the future. But it was a fun splurge and I am glad we got to do it!

Fireworks from club lounge at Polynesian

Pools

The Polynesian has a fun water-fort type play area that is great for little ones! This is yet just another reason we picked this resort. We could just let the kids run wild and not worry too much. They had a blast. In addition the resort has two other pools. One is a quieter pool more toward the middle of the resort. The other one is right next to the kids area and looks like a big volcano on top. It has a water slide as well.

Parks

I could go into way too much detail here but I will save you the boredom. I am not the type of person that can do a last minute trip to Disney. I need time to plan well in advance. I prefer to stay on property so I can book fast passes out in that 60 day window and those extra magic hours are huge for us. I rather get up early and avoid the crowds when possible.

I believe you need to cater your trip to your family. We wanted to experience some key features at each park but spend the most time at Magic Kingdom. Therefore, we bought park hopper tickets and spent the beginning of each day at a different park and typically ended at the Magic Kingdom. We also tried to mix in pool time in the middle of each day back at the hotel. Please feel free to inquire if you have any questions. Planning can get very confusing and intensive but the day you get your magic bands in the mail you will get butterflies in your stomach!

I should mention that one of the reasons we chose to go in September was to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. They shut the park down early for a limited number of guests to attend. Oh, of course there is a separate cost for this event. Not every ride is open but the idea is that lines are shorter and you get the halloween experience. Kids (and adults) can dress up, there is trick-or-treating, halloween decor and characters, special halloween inspired treats and a parade. I was especially excited for the parade….I mean the kids not me. As my husband and older son were off riding thunder mountain railroad over and over again, the younger one and I were posting up for a good spot to view the parade. Now it starts and still no sign of the other two. Oh well, we were the ones excited for the parade anyways. Just as the parade is getting in front of us I am made aware of a bathroom emergency. I frantically sifted through the inpentrable crowd of people to try to find a restroom. Finally inside one, I come to find out my 2 year old just let it go. Pooped all over himself and the umbrella stroller. As I am stripping him down and throwing away his clothes he says ‘Don’t worry mama, my tummy feels all better so I could probably have some more candy’. Oh good, right after I finish scrubbing the poop out of this stroller in this sink here I will get right on that.

Summary

I do recommend the Polynesian. It is hard to beat the access to the Magic Kingdom. When we return it will be to visit the new Star Wars attraction at Hollywood studios so we will probably stay somewhere closer to that park.

After all the anxiety it ended up being a magical trip. The kids got to experience Disney like no one else. Due to the hurricane the parks were practically empty. There were very little lines and they got to jump on rides over and over again. They ran from one character meet and greet to another with no waiting. They will never get to do that again so I am glad they got to do it at this age while they still think it is all so amazing…and they had no patience anyways.