Excited for the Poly!!!! ALOT of questions though..help!

[stratman50th]

I was not too impressed with 'Ohana dinner in July, but that is the first time we were disappointed in 10 visits.

Interesting you should say that. O'hana has always been our favorite table service restaurant and a must do every trip. We were at Disney in Dec and ate there. It was as we had always remembered, our favorite. We had a day left on our park hopper and went to go to the flower and garden in May. As always, dinner at O'hana. Not as good as Dec. One thing of note was that they changed the flavor of the noodles! (I know, gasp!) But hey, it's part of the whole. Anyway, curious as to your thoughts.
To the OP, O'hana is still good and the hardest restaurant on property to get in to. One thing we have done where we've had success is going to the desk as soon as it opens and putting our name in as standby. We have never waited more than an hour to get seated. Also keep hitting the ADR site. People do cancel their reservations. That's how we got a reservation in May.

 

[Khcuttin]

1) With a lagoon view room I would recommend watching the Electrical Water Pageant from the room one night and if you have a good view, maybe the MK fireworks, if not, the beach is a great place to watch the fireworks
2) Love Kona for breakfast, one of my favorite on property. Haven't been for the other meals so I can't say.
3) Dos:
- Reserve a pool/resort day to explore how beautiful the Poly is!
-Visit Trader Sam's before 8 (it is open to kids and the special effects inside can be fun) they have mocktails and some tasty appetizers. The outside terrace is nice as well since they have ukulele performances sometimes.
4) December can have chilly nights so bring clothes for the morning and "cozy" clothes for the night (if needed).
5) For Christmas I always recommend having a Resort day. All of the resorts have such beautiful decoration! You're right at the monorail loop so take advantage of it to visit the Contemporary's cookie display and the Gran Floridian's gingerbread house!

The holidays are my favorite at Disney so definitely do not miss a Christmas party at MK and stop by Epcot for the Festival of the Holidays to learn about holiday traditions from around the world. When at Epcot, take a boat to the hotels near the Boardwalk because they also have amazing decorations. At Hollywood Studios they have Sunset Greetings where it "snows"on sunset blvd. It has my favorite holiday vibe all around. I also know that this year they are bringing the holidays to Animal Kingdom as well which will be interesting! All the offerings at the parks are included with the regular ticket, with the exception of MK where you need a special Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ticket!

You are truly a thoughtful person to give me so many great tips! ( and clearly a well informed Disney fan! ) This site has produced more responses from such nice people, like yourself, that genuinely want me and my son to have the best time possible. It sounds like a cliché, but I am truly greatful for every bit of advice I have received. It sounds like I have been missing out on so many things by never going during the holidays! Im looking forward to putting all of this info and tips into a Magical vacation! Thank u again

 

[Khcuttin]

Interesting you should say that. O'hana has always been our favorite table service restaurant and a must do every trip. We were at Disney in Dec and ate there. It was as we had always remembered, our favorite. We had a day left on our park hopper and went to go to the flower and garden in May. As always, dinner at O'hana. Not as good as Dec. One thing of note was that they changed the flavor of the noodles! (I know, gasp!) But hey, it's part of the whole. Anyway, curious as to your thoughts.
To the OP, O'hana is still good and the hardest restaurant on property to get in to. One thing we have done where we've had success is going to the desk and putting our name in as standby. We have never waited more than an hour to get seated. Also keep hitting the ADR site. People do cancel their reservations. That's how we got a reservation in May.

I will definitely put my name in at Ohana as a standby. I couldn't get reservations, but I did at Kona Café. Would you recommend Breakfast, or Dinner at Ohana? Although my son Jack is in a wheelchair, he still is a typical 11 year old boy,,so princesses aren't "cool", lol. I was thinking more Dinner than Breakfast? Is there a big difference?

 

[stratman50th]

I will definitely put my name in at Ohana as a standby. I couldn't get reservations, but I did at Kona Café. Would you recommend Breakfast, or Dinner at Ohana? Although my son Jack is in a wheelchair, he still is a typical 11 year old boy,,so princesses aren't "cool", lol. I was thinking more Dinner than Breakfast? Is there a big difference?

With a half dozen stays at the Poly under our belt I regret to say we've never had breakfast at O'hana. It's always been dinner. I'm 59 and I'm a big fan of princesses! (This is where my wife looks at me and rolls her eyes, Haha!) Last May we had a table at the window. Perfect view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They also pipe in the music during the show. Enjoy your stay at the Poly. It has always been a great place for us. But, all of the places we have stayed have been great for one reason or the other.

 

[Zé_Carioca]

I will definitely put my name in at Ohana as a standby. I couldn't get reservations, but I did at Kona Café. Would you recommend Breakfast, or Dinner at Ohana? Although my son Jack is in a wheelchair, he still is a typical 11 year old boy,,so princesses aren't "cool", lol. I was thinking more Dinner than Breakfast? Is there a big difference?

I didn't enjoy breakfast there, it was a platter just eggs, fruits, bacon and waffles. The characters are Mickey, Pluto, Stitch and Lilo if that is a selling point for you!

Dinner was a miss for me due to service but the food was delicious,diverse and plentiful!

 

[Khcuttin]

With a half dozen stays at the Poly under our belt I regret to say we've never had breakfast at O'hana. It's always been dinner. I'm 59 and I'm a big fan of princesses! (This is where my wife looks at me and rolls her eyes, Haha!) Last May we had a table at the window. Perfect view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They also pipe in the music during the show. Enjoy your stay at the Poly. It has always been a great place for us. But, all of the places we have stayed have been great for one reason or the other.

Lol, big fan of Princesses!! That's ok ( as long as your wife is your #1 Princess!! ) lol. I think from all that I have heard, Dinner would be a better option for me and my son. A window seat to see the fireworks must have been spectacular

 

[Khcuttin]

I didn't enjoy breakfast there, it was a platter just eggs, fruits, bacon and waffles. The characters are Mickey, Pluto, Stitch and Lilo if that is a selling point for you!

Dinner was a miss for me due to service but the food was delicious,diverse and plentiful!

Thank you for your honest opinion! I think I will ( providing I can get in! ) try for a Dinner reservation, or standby. Hopefully, the service will be good!! Take care, and TY.

 

[Zé_Carioca]

Thank you for your honest opinion! I think I will ( providing I can get in! ) try for a Dinner reservation, or standby. Hopefully, the service will be good!! Take care, and TY.

No problem! I went during the fireworks so that impacted how often the waiter came with the skewers and we felt rushed which seems common there but the food made up for it: there is a delicious bread, salad, noodles and dumplings, meat and shrimp skewers and bread pudding for dessert!

As for reservation, keep checking as your trip gets closer, many times I get the best reservations a few days out since people start canceling before getting charged for no-shows!

 

[stratman50th]

Lol, big fan of Princesses!! That's ok ( as long as your wife is your #1 Princess!! ) lol. I think from all that I have heard, Dinner would be a better option for me and my son. A window seat to see the fireworks must have been spectacular

It was our 31st anniversary so it worked out for us.

 

[Khcuttin]

No problem! I went during the fireworks so that impacted how often the waiter came with the skewers and we felt rushed which seems common there but the food made up for it: there is a delicious bread, salad, noodles and dumplings, meat and shrimp skewers and bread pudding for dessert!

As for reservation, keep checking as your trip gets closer, many times I get the best reservations a few days out since people start canceling before getting charged for no-shows!

Great idea!! And YUMMY menu! Im so excited, lol!! Im like a kid!!

 

[Hcalvert]

Interesting you should say that. O'hana has always been our favorite table service restaurant and a must do every trip. We were at Disney in Dec and ate there. It was as we had always remembered, our favorite. We had a day left on our park hopper and went to go to the flower and garden in May. As always, dinner at O'hana. Not as good as Dec. One thing of note was that they changed the flavor of the noodles! (I know, gasp!) But hey, it's part of the whole. Anyway, curious as to your thoughts.
To the OP, O'hana is still good and the hardest restaurant on property to get in to. One thing we have done where we've had success is going to the desk as soon as it opens and putting our name in as standby. We have never waited more than an hour to get seated. Also keep hitting the ADR site. People do cancel their reservations. That's how we got a reservation in May.

I plan to go back in June 2020 as it is a 14-night trip. My January trip is only 4 nights and sadly, we decided to go back to Storybook Dining at Artist's Point instead. As for the noodles, I don't usually eat them, so I cannot comment. I like the wings, which were still good in July. We were disappointed with the greasiness of the pork dumplings and the steak being too rare. The service was also lacking last time with long waits to be served meats and dessert and even getting our check to leave. Like I said, this was our first "meh" experience in about 10 visits and we are hoping that it was only a fluke.

 

[correcaminos]

I will definitely put my name in at Ohana as a standby. I couldn't get reservations, but I did at Kona Café. Would you recommend Breakfast, or Dinner at Ohana? Although my son Jack is in a wheelchair, he still is a typical 11 year old boy,,so princesses aren't "cool", lol. I was thinking more Dinner than Breakfast? Is there a big difference?

Honestly I am not a an 'Ohana fan. I do much prefer Kona Cafe so I think that's a better choice. Breakfast at 'Ohana IMO is better suited for younger kids. My 11yo would be meh to it at this point. Food at Kona for breakfast is better too IMO. Dinner at 'Ohana is more of an all you can eat meat skewers which I don't really care for. My husband liked it better (I only eat one type of meat, he does not) but still last time it was meh.

 

[correcaminos]

Personally I think Ohana has ruined the Grand Ceremonial House. Its packed and ruins the ambiance morning and evening, because Disney continue to over book it.

I don't notice it on the lower lobby, but the 2nd floor of the lobby is really kind of blah now because of all the changes. I'm not a fan of how it feels like a staging area for various dining experiences.

 

[nickys]

Thank you for your honest opinion! I think I will ( providing I can get in! ) try for a Dinner reservation, or standby. Hopefully, the service will be good!! Take care, and TY.

If you go to the Touring Plans site and register, you can set up a reservation finder for dinner. They will text you if it finds one, and although you need to be quick just keep trying.

Definitely ask for a non ground floor room so you can enjoy the balcony without the lizards!
Enjoy!

Be aware the second floor don’t have balconies, so you either want a ground floor with patio (and maybe lizards!) or third floor. Just remember though those are requests, not guaranteed. You can call in and get the request added to your reservation.

 

[Khcuttin]

If you go to the Touring Plans site and register, you can set up a reservation finder for dinner. They will text you if it finds one, and although you need to be quick just keep trying.




Be aware the second floor don’t have balconies, so you either want a ground floor with patio (and maybe lizards!) or third floor. Just remember though those are requests, not guaranteed. You can call in and get the request added to your reservation.

Ty! I will do that!

 

[Khcuttin]

Definitely ask for a non ground floor room so you can enjoy the balcony without the lizards!

Kona cafe is far better for breakfast and Ohana for dinner.

Relax in the lobby with a dole whip and chill!

If you are ok to walk with the wheelchair use the path to the GF and enjoy the band in the evening.

Enjoy!

That sounds wonderful! I was told that they are, or have already, built a walkway from the GF to MK? Do you know if that is true? I would think it would be a VERY long walk?

 

[Khcuttin]

Honestly I am not a an 'Ohana fan. I do much prefer Kona Cafe so I think that's a better choice. Breakfast at 'Ohana IMO is better suited for younger kids. My 11yo would be meh to it at this point. Food at Kona for breakfast is better too IMO. Dinner at 'Ohana is more of an all you can eat meat skewers which I don't really care for. My husband liked it better (I only eat one type of meat, he does not) but still last time it was meh.

TY!! Our 11 yr Olds are too cool for princesses , but Im not!! Lol. I do have a reservation for Kona Café and I will maybe try a standby for Ohanas at night. Jack ( my 11 yr old ) is VERY picky, so maybe its not such a good idea?

 

[correcaminos]

TY!! Our 11 yr Olds are too cool for princesses , but Im not!! Lol. I do have a reservation for Kona Café and I will maybe try a standby for Ohanas at night. Jack ( my 11 yr old ) is VERY picky, so maybe its not such a good idea?

Depends, does he like a variety of meat? If so he'll like enough to enjoy.

 

[s&k'smom]

We just stayed there the last week in August and absolutely loved it we were in the Aotora building (sorry on spelling). We found it very centrally located right near the pool great ceremonial house Captain Cook’s is open 24 hours which is really convenient for this early riser we found the resort spotlessly clean the Siems beyond helpful and friendly there was always somebody cleaning something or maintenance was around touching up something and the rooms are so big we were four adults and had plenty of room

 

[nickys]

That sounds wonderful! I was told that they are, or have already, built a walkway from the GF to MK? Do you know if that is true? I would think it would be a VERY long walk?

They are building it now. The major construction is the bridge over the canal. I doubt it will be ready for December though, although anything is possible - the path itself is mostly already there.

It’ll be something like 0.68 of a mile I believe.