Hi everyone! I’m Katie, and this is my trip report for our first split-stay WDW vacation!
When I began planning my family’s March 2017 visit, I knew we wanted to stay at least seven nights to really have time to enjoy the parks and resorts. My immediate family is my husband and our two children, a six year old girl and almost-three year old boy. This would be my daughter’s fifth WDW trip and my son’s third. We love traveling to WDW with our young children – we’ve found there is something for everyone to have an enjoyable vacation, and we feel Disney really makes it easy on young families with options like Rider Swap, Baby Care Centers, pack and plays and bed rails for the rooms, Magical Express/transportation (no car seats needed!) and much more.
We fell in love with both Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge on previous trips, but we have also enjoyed several of the moderate and value resorts as well, most recently Port Orleans - Riverside and Coronado Springs. I decided the best way to experience a new deluxe resort but also stay within our budget, as well as accommodate a few more family members joining us later in the week, would be to do a split stay. We reserved a studio villa at the Polynesian directly through Disney (not DVC) for our family of four for the first four nights of our vacation and then a Cars Family Suite at Art of Animation with my in-laws added for the last three nights. We were on the Disney Dining Plan for both reservations.
***
We left before the sun came up on a Sunday to head for the airport in New Orleans, which is just under an hour from where I live in south Louisiana. The kids were great sports, and we took off and landed on time which is always great when traveling to start your vacation! (I love Southwest. Two free bags per person, early family boarding and minimal delays, in my experience!)
We checked in to Disney’s Magical Express at MCO and took the bus to our resort. I didn’t check for the exact time, but I want to say it was no more than an hour from the time we were off the plane to the time we got to our resort. I did get a text when boarding the bus that our room was not quite ready, so I planned to check with the front desk when we arrived.
When you arrive at the Polynesian, you really feel like you’re in a tropical oasis. The landscaping was beautiful, the lobby had a fresh smell, and lots of smiling cast members welcomed us to the resort. At the check in desk, I was told that our room was not yet ready but that they would text us when it became available. They gave us a few leis, which my daughter loved, and I picked up our rental stroller from the concierge, which served as a good luggage carrier for our carry on bags that we wanted to keep with us (perks of the kids getting a little older – they can walk around the resort when we need them to now!). The weather was a little chilly so we decided to get lunch and ride the monorail before jumping into the pool, since it was still before noon.
We went to Captain Cook’s, the quick service restaurant at the Polynesian, where we picked up our refillable resort mugs that are included on the dining plan and ordered lunch. My children split an order of chicken nuggets, while my husband tried the Hot Beef and Cheddar sandwich and I ordered the Pulled Pork Nachos. I have a strange pineapple allergy, but they (and every other restaurant at the Poly, we would find out) accommodated it by leaving off the pineapple salsa. The nachos were so good! The chips were house-made and wonton-like, with pulled pork, cheese, tomatoes and red onions.
After our ride on the monorail loop, we headed for the pool at the Poly, where we were able to change into our swimsuits. All of the Disney resort pools offer life vests, so we grabbed two for our kids as well as a few towels that were provided. My daughter really enjoyed the water slide, as she always does, and my son had a lot of fun on the splash pad/water playground.
Just as we got out of the pool, I received a text that our room was ready, which was perfect timing. It was around 1:30 p.m., and the kids were really ready for a nap after getting up so early for the airport. The room was everything we expected it to be – second floor in Tokelau; we couldn’t have asked for a better location! I wish I would have taken more photos of the room, but we were so tired and ready to get into the room I didn’t. We got the kids to sleep, and my husband went for a run on the path to the Grand Floridian (ambitious man, who quickly remembered you shouldn’t put any extra miles on your poor feet during a Disney vacation!) and picked up a drink for me at Tambu Lounge on the way back to the room. Cheers to an Island Sunset!
Once the kids were awake, we headed back out the gift shops, where my daughter decided she wanted to buy a pin trading starter kit with the gift card from grandma that was burning a hole in her pocket. I was actually surprised this was what she wanted, as I planned to introduce pin trading to her when she was a little older. But she was so into it, looking for just the right kit and talking to the gift shop cast member about it, that I couldn’t discourage it. This actually turned out to be one of the things that made our trip so memorable – all of the wonderful cast members taking the time to kneel down, talk to her, show her their pins… it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion! It really fit her personality as well, as she is so outgoing and loves to talk.
Finally, it was time for our dinner reservation at Ohana. I’ve eaten here once before, for our eleventh wedding anniversary, and I loved it – but I wasn’t so sure about bringing the kids. However, immediately upon arrival my daughter made friends with the hula instructor, who “decorated” her with extra leis and posed with her for a photo. When they dimmed the lights for Wishes, which we had a front and center view for, my son could hardly stand the excitement (in the best way!). The food was just as good as I remember (even if I had to skip a few things thanks to the aforementioned pineapple issue, but the chef was great about checking in and supplying alternative options) and they even brought extra macaroni and cheese for my son. My daughter actually ate the pork dumplings, sautéed broccoli, and skewered shrimp and steak, which surprised me! (Apologies again for the lack of photos … juggling all that food and two little ones, I had my hands full. Thank goodness I’d added Memory Maker for the big photo opportunities!)
Back in the room, we headed straight for bed. My daughter loved the twin pull-down bed that featured a sweet Lilo and Stitch, who we would be meeting the next morning…
When I began planning my family’s March 2017 visit, I knew we wanted to stay at least seven nights to really have time to enjoy the parks and resorts. My immediate family is my husband and our two children, a six year old girl and almost-three year old boy. This would be my daughter’s fifth WDW trip and my son’s third. We love traveling to WDW with our young children – we’ve found there is something for everyone to have an enjoyable vacation, and we feel Disney really makes it easy on young families with options like Rider Swap, Baby Care Centers, pack and plays and bed rails for the rooms, Magical Express/transportation (no car seats needed!) and much more.
We fell in love with both Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge on previous trips, but we have also enjoyed several of the moderate and value resorts as well, most recently Port Orleans - Riverside and Coronado Springs. I decided the best way to experience a new deluxe resort but also stay within our budget, as well as accommodate a few more family members joining us later in the week, would be to do a split stay. We reserved a studio villa at the Polynesian directly through Disney (not DVC) for our family of four for the first four nights of our vacation and then a Cars Family Suite at Art of Animation with my in-laws added for the last three nights. We were on the Disney Dining Plan for both reservations.
***
We left before the sun came up on a Sunday to head for the airport in New Orleans, which is just under an hour from where I live in south Louisiana. The kids were great sports, and we took off and landed on time which is always great when traveling to start your vacation! (I love Southwest. Two free bags per person, early family boarding and minimal delays, in my experience!)
We checked in to Disney’s Magical Express at MCO and took the bus to our resort. I didn’t check for the exact time, but I want to say it was no more than an hour from the time we were off the plane to the time we got to our resort. I did get a text when boarding the bus that our room was not quite ready, so I planned to check with the front desk when we arrived.
When you arrive at the Polynesian, you really feel like you’re in a tropical oasis. The landscaping was beautiful, the lobby had a fresh smell, and lots of smiling cast members welcomed us to the resort. At the check in desk, I was told that our room was not yet ready but that they would text us when it became available. They gave us a few leis, which my daughter loved, and I picked up our rental stroller from the concierge, which served as a good luggage carrier for our carry on bags that we wanted to keep with us (perks of the kids getting a little older – they can walk around the resort when we need them to now!). The weather was a little chilly so we decided to get lunch and ride the monorail before jumping into the pool, since it was still before noon.
We went to Captain Cook’s, the quick service restaurant at the Polynesian, where we picked up our refillable resort mugs that are included on the dining plan and ordered lunch. My children split an order of chicken nuggets, while my husband tried the Hot Beef and Cheddar sandwich and I ordered the Pulled Pork Nachos. I have a strange pineapple allergy, but they (and every other restaurant at the Poly, we would find out) accommodated it by leaving off the pineapple salsa. The nachos were so good! The chips were house-made and wonton-like, with pulled pork, cheese, tomatoes and red onions.
After our ride on the monorail loop, we headed for the pool at the Poly, where we were able to change into our swimsuits. All of the Disney resort pools offer life vests, so we grabbed two for our kids as well as a few towels that were provided. My daughter really enjoyed the water slide, as she always does, and my son had a lot of fun on the splash pad/water playground.
Just as we got out of the pool, I received a text that our room was ready, which was perfect timing. It was around 1:30 p.m., and the kids were really ready for a nap after getting up so early for the airport. The room was everything we expected it to be – second floor in Tokelau; we couldn’t have asked for a better location! I wish I would have taken more photos of the room, but we were so tired and ready to get into the room I didn’t. We got the kids to sleep, and my husband went for a run on the path to the Grand Floridian (ambitious man, who quickly remembered you shouldn’t put any extra miles on your poor feet during a Disney vacation!) and picked up a drink for me at Tambu Lounge on the way back to the room. Cheers to an Island Sunset!
Once the kids were awake, we headed back out the gift shops, where my daughter decided she wanted to buy a pin trading starter kit with the gift card from grandma that was burning a hole in her pocket. I was actually surprised this was what she wanted, as I planned to introduce pin trading to her when she was a little older. But she was so into it, looking for just the right kit and talking to the gift shop cast member about it, that I couldn’t discourage it. This actually turned out to be one of the things that made our trip so memorable – all of the wonderful cast members taking the time to kneel down, talk to her, show her their pins… it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion! It really fit her personality as well, as she is so outgoing and loves to talk.
Finally, it was time for our dinner reservation at Ohana. I’ve eaten here once before, for our eleventh wedding anniversary, and I loved it – but I wasn’t so sure about bringing the kids. However, immediately upon arrival my daughter made friends with the hula instructor, who “decorated” her with extra leis and posed with her for a photo. When they dimmed the lights for Wishes, which we had a front and center view for, my son could hardly stand the excitement (in the best way!). The food was just as good as I remember (even if I had to skip a few things thanks to the aforementioned pineapple issue, but the chef was great about checking in and supplying alternative options) and they even brought extra macaroni and cheese for my son. My daughter actually ate the pork dumplings, sautéed broccoli, and skewered shrimp and steak, which surprised me! (Apologies again for the lack of photos … juggling all that food and two little ones, I had my hands full. Thank goodness I’d added Memory Maker for the big photo opportunities!)
Back in the room, we headed straight for bed. My daughter loved the twin pull-down bed that featured a sweet Lilo and Stitch, who we would be meeting the next morning…
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And lastly I'm proud of you...Ice Cream for lunch...that's what vacations are all about.
