A one night stay...because of Toast?! (A story, and POP & Kona Breakfast Questions)

[WhenYouWish]

So...please tell me I'm not the only person who would totally do what I've done. lol

At the end of this month, myself and two other adults will be taking a road trip from NJ to FL. We've only ever flown down, so we're looking forward to this new kind of journey.

When planning I knew our halfway stopping-over point would be South of the Border (with all the older, mixed reviews online, I'd appreciate any opinions on it from anyone who has stayed there recently!), mostly so we can say we've done it. lol The plan once we get to FL was to stay two nights: one visiting family, and the other...we weren't sure. We thought we'd like to explore some other FL destination than the Orlando area (which is currently all we've ever seen of the whole state! Though our last trip to see Mickey was waaay back in 2014 lol)......but in the end, our Disney fandom....and my love of a certain Toast product.....ultimately made the decision for us.

Long story short, I checked some rates and availabilities, did about 3.2 seconds of thinking it over lol...and we are now booked for one night at POP Century. Not to try and squeeze in a day at the parks (in fact we aren't going into any of the parks!)...but instead, for the express reason of taking Disney transports the next morning over to Poly for our breakfast ADR at Kona Cafe.

Yes. I'm not crazy...right?? Did I mention how very much I LOVE Tonga Toast?

And in addition to this delicious prospect, it dawned on me somehow after booking all this that my birthday is a mere two days later. Suddenly I'm celebrating my birthday on WDW property, getting to relax at POP's pools and such for an afternoon/evening, and then being able to eat Tonga Toast for breakfast the next day?!? Whaaat.

For this Jersey girl and her crew, this Disney visit planned on a whim - while ridiculously brief lol - is so completely random and so amazing. All three of us are beyond excited. <3

I do have a few small questions. If I do online check in for POP, will there be any place to add a note that we're celebrating a birthday? I remember one year having made a note of a friend's birthday prior to our stay and there was an autographed Mickey photo waiting for her in the room. Not that I'd expect anything at all, but it would be fun to possibly have something similar for myself this time.

My other question is about Kona Cafe. I originally used the WDW website to make an early morning ADR. Afterwards I used the MDE app to modify the time - twice. I did receive email confirms for both, and the app now states the latest modified time. I'll definately be calling at some point to make sure it's really in the system, I just wonder has anyone had any issues with using the app to modify and possibly losing your res in the process? Obviously this breakfast is really important to me so I want to make sure it doesn't disappear! lol

On the same note, last question: from what I've read, Kona serves breakfast until 11:15. Our ADR is currently set for 10:30 (I would've done 10:15, but it wasn't a choice when modifying). ...We should be ok, right? I just have these terrible visions of getting there on time but not being seated til after 11, and being told Tonga Toast is no longer being served for the day!!

 

[Tiggerish]

So...please tell me I'm not the only person who would totally do what I've done. lol

All I have to say about this is...I think you've found your people. I'm pretty sure almost anyone here would not only do what you've done if they had the opportunity, but are quite frankly envious of your ability to do it!!

I think you'll be fine. If they seat you for breakfast, they'll serve you breakfast. You could always add a little insurance for yourself by showing up a bit early for your ADR.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Leave yourself time to get there a few minutes early and you will be fine.

Btw, I am from Jersey originally, and while I've driven many times and passed by SOTB, I don't remember ever staying there. The billboards on the way are fun. Smart move stopping, though, because driving straight through is exhausting.

I love what you are doing! We drove over just for lunch one day a few weeks ago - much shorter ride, though! Don't forget you can always stop at Disney Springs for some extra fun - it's much different than last time you were down!

 

[WhenYouWish]

Thanks guys! We're definately going to try and arrive earlier than the ADR time. Hoping that maybe they'll seat us sooner than 10:30, but if not it's good to hear we should still be fine. Because I will totally run downstairs to Captain Cook's if I have to. Lol!

...hm. Maybe not a bad idea, to grab a "dry" (sans compote) to-go Tonga Toast from there for a snack on the ride back up the coast. When does Captain Cook's stop offering breakfast? I think in 2014 it was 10 or 11am.

...This is something totally normal that people might think of to do, right?? Right?!?

I'm pretty sure almost anyone here would not only do what you've done if they had the opportunity, but are quite frankly envious of your ability to do it!!

I had a feeling I'd find support here! Yep, it just so happened all three of us were available that week (which is super rare) and we always tease about wanting to jump in the car and just take a good old fashioned road trip to somewhere. So we figured why not take the chance presented to us, see family we don't see often...then check in with the Disney "family" we don't see often enough either! lol It's gonna be a wacky whirlwind trip all around (5 days total to get down FL and back up to NJ again), but I know we'll have a blast!

Don't forget you can always stop at Disney Springs for some extra fun - it's much different than last time you were down!

We were actually thinking about that! After we've settled in our room, maybe took a swim, then we'll probably try and head over there for a few hours.

 

[mouse_luv]

As far as South of the Border is concerned. Ick! It is okay to visit this hole in the wall, but I would never ever wish staying there on my worst enemy then alone someone who seems decent and nice on this forum.
It is pretty 1 star quality there and just gross and unsafe.

You and your party are better off just visiting SOTB to say you were there, and then drive the extra 30 mins down the highway and stay the night in Florence SC. It's nicer and safer.

 

[DManRightHere]

Well...we broke down and purchased Universal annual passes this year with the intention to make 5 trips before before the 365 days tick down.

We go back in June and I was mulling over the idea of visiting Typhoon Lagoon, and now, because of you, I think we will have to get some Tonga Toast before the water park.

Thanks and enjoy your trip!!

 

[DarthVader]

.but instead, for the express reason of taking Disney transports the next morning over to Poly for our breakfast ADR at Kona Cafe.

Why not drive to the poly instead of taking the buses,AFAIK, there are no direct buses from Pop to the Poly so you'll need to go to a park and then grab another bus. We always cab it when needing to go to another resort for a breakfast.

 

[Jess G]

There is no place to add your celebrating with online check in, you have to call. Have fun

 

[slappy magoo]

All I can say about South of the Border is this - the first trip my then-future-wife & I took to WDW, we flew down but due to hurricane conditions, we wound up driving our rental car to the Philly airport (we're also New Jerseyans). On the way home, seeing the billboards for SotB, I thought what the heck, it's an adventure, let's see what the big deal is. We stopped to use a restroom, I then asked the future Mrs. Magoo if she were hungry...only to then notice she was white as a sheet. "Could we just go, please? NOW? PLEASE?"

To this day she's not told me what exactly she saw. She insists it was "just a vibe" she caught that said we ought to go, but I honestly don't know how much of it was a vibe and how much was seeing something she just did not want to talk about.

Since then, we've almost always driven, and I have to make sure any bathroom or fuel breaks are handled long before or past SotB.

 

[DisneyJunkie217]

I lived about an hour north of SOTB & visited once or twice. I do NOT recommend staying there. It is the definition of a tourist trap. The hotel rooms are disgusting and there are barely any things to do there. Total waste of money. The only upside of SOTB is their cute billboards driving down there.



I feel like such a debby-downer writing this but I seriously hated it there.

 

[WhenYouWish]

Thanks all for the input on South of the Border! After considering your advice, reading countless other online reviews (they seriously run the gamut from "Fun stay! Safe and clean!" to "Stay away if you value your existence!", which makes it super tough to make an informed decision ), and watching every related YouTube video I could find, we've decided it's probably in our best interest to stay elsewhere. We could have lived with the outdatedness, but not with our concerns over safety and possible cleanliness or critter issues in the rooms. So we'll find somewhere - with more consistent positive reviews lol - in the area for our overnight.

But we will still definately be stopping there for a few hours to check out all the kitsch!

We go back in June and I was mulling over the idea of visiting Typhoon Lagoon, and now, because of you, I think we will have to get some Tonga Toast before the water park.

Yes, excellent!! Do it!! Guaranteed 100% worth it!

There may be some sort of proximity rule when it comes to Tonga Toast. "If you are going to be within X distance of Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, you MUST arrange to eat the Toast!" lol

Why not drive to the poly instead of taking the buses,AFAIK, there are no direct buses from Pop to the Poly so you'll need to go to a park and then grab another bus.

For this particular trip - since we're not going to be visiting any of the parks - we're actually looking forward to using Disney's transportation! We're going to bus to MK, wave "hello" to it as we head over to the monorail station, and ride over to Poly. After breakfast (...ok, after noon when Pineapple Lanai opens and we can have Dole Whip lol) we'll take a boat (or the ferry from the TTC if we feel like walking) back to MK, then hop back on our resort bus.

There is no place to add your celebrating with online check in, you have to call.

Ok, that works. I couldn't remember for sure how we made the note for my friend last time. Thanks!

 

[SAV]

Since you are going to be using the Resort's amenities, any thought of moving up to a Moderate like Coronado Springs Resort? The grounds are so much nicer than at POP. And at night they are just breathtaking. The Dig Site pool is awesome.

 

[WhenYouWish]

^^ It would've been awesome if we could've upgraded to a Moderate (or Deluxe of course! lol) but since this trip is so spur of the moment we're trying to stay on somewhat of a budget. Our last trip we actually stayed a few days at Poly, and even with all the construction at the time it was beautiful and the choices of transportation are very convenient. But prior to that we'd only ever stayed at Values so we're very familiar with them (their pros...and cons lol) and have always enjoyed them.

And on that note, actually....plot twist! lol As of yesterday we've had a "slight" change in our plans.

In light of my birthday, and because she's happy to see us finally taking this roadtrip we've always talked about, my amazing mom has gifted us with a second night in the World, across the way at AoA!!

Guess it's time for me to go start an official "Pre-Trip Report"?...