Disney trip

[marie3246]

We just got back so I figured I would write a quick recap. I really appreciated all the help from everyone

We stayed at a savanna view studio in Kidani village with DH, DD (will be 2 in march) and then at the last min SIL and BIL decided to stay with us for 3 nights. I was ver)y worried it was going to be too tight (and im sure it is for most people), but I love them and preferred that to them staying at a value away from us. DD got sick almost 2 weeks before, gave it to me the week before and then DH got it the worst during the trip.I did feel bad he was sick, but he worked himself to death before the trip instead of resting and didn't want to take all the meds the doctor suggested so he was kind of a dud for the first 3 days. I was very thankful SIL and BIL were there. 

Day 1:
We arrived around 3pm and it was pouring. We did the online check in and our room was ready so we went straight there to have DD and DH nap. That was a fail, DD wouldn't sleep after the 5 hour car ride so we went over to Jambo house and ate at Mara while waiting for the rain to stop. We had FP for MK, but ended up skipping it due to the rain. 

Day 2: Epcot
I had a general plan for the day, but I was surprised that everyone kind of looked at me to tell them what to do. I wish I would have looked at maps and had a general outline for what to do besides FP. We ended up wasting a lot of time trying to decide what to do and that was frustrating. DH is usually the direction/map person so him being sick was not ideal. 
-FP for SE (ended up using, but didn't need since the line was very short)
-FP for TT (ended up not needing, they didn't require all 4 of us to have FP if we used rider swap, this was the only place that did ask though). 
then we saw Chip and Dale which DD was star struck. We then had a lunch reservation at Askershus. We didn't love the food, it wasn't bad, just a little too different for our taste, but the character interaction was great. DD loved the princesses. She didn't understand having to wait for them to come to your table though so she kept yelling for more once they moved on. I also loved the parade, Cinderella held her hand and walked with her and she loved it. Totally worth it. 
-We walked around the world showcase til DD was acting up and DH needed a nap so we headed back to the room. I sat out on the balcony watching the animals while they napped. 
-We didn't have dinner reservations, but were able to eat in the Saana lounge and that was the best food of the trip. So good, I wish I would have made real dinner reservations there too. 

Day 3: HS
DD and DH slept in so we missed RD, but we had FP for TS&TOT and everything else didn't have lines. 
DD loves Jake from neverland pirates so we got in line for him, but then she saw Minnie and ran over to her cutting everyone in line. So we had to wait a few minutes for Minnie before the DS show. It was a pain trying to get DD to stand in line and wait for Minnie and then we finally get there and she won't say a word or smile, just wants to hold her hand and stare. I thought the Disney Jr show was cute and DD loved it. She was so excited that she danced, jumped, fell, hit her head and then cried, but was over it in 2 seconds thankfully. We did a few of the shows which weren't a big hit and headed back to the resort pool and DH napped. We had reservations for the star wars dessert party that night so we planned to go back and ride a few more adult rides later. We didn't have FP for Rocking Roller Coaster, but they gave us rider swap passes even without riding so DH and I got to do that later. I went back and forth on hiring a sitter for the party, but I am sooooo glad we did. Thanks for the advice lauren170 It worked out perfectly, she was awesome and DH was feeling better so we had a great time! Desserts were fantastic, drinks were decent and the fireworks were AMAZING. 


Day 4: MK
We had pre rope drop breakfast at CP so we left the room at 7am. DH was less than thrilled, but when we got to the front desk they told us no buses would be running til 8am, which would make us miss our breakfast and was totally different information from the night before. We went to the bus stop and a bunch of people were waiting for the same thing and every single family was told a different story. Someone went to the front desk again and they finally called a bus so we made it with plenty of time. DD was a nightmare though. She was hungry and still tired, didn't want to ride the bus or eat any food we had with us and certainly didn't want to take a picture in front of the castle. I was bummed. CP was a hit with DD though, she loves pooh and it was worth it all to see her face when she saw him. The food was ok, I wasn't blown away, but I would do it again. The characters took forever though. We saw Pooh and Piglet quickly and then had to wait forever for the other 2. We ended up leaving before Tigger came because he was still on the other side of the restaurant by the time we were done eating. We were able to ride Dumbo, tea cups, WTP quickly, then we had FP for peter pan, mine train and thunder mountain. We rode a few more rides and DD loved watching the Splash M drop so we did that for a bit, met some characters, watched the castle show/parade. She didn't want to have much to do with the stroller and refused to nap in it, so we headed back around 4pm. She was so tired she and DH napped right away. Later we headed back to MK for the parade/fireworks which she loved. 

Day 5:  
DH wanted to sleep in again so we missed RD at AK. We did the safari around 10am and a lot of the animals weren't out and it was pretty hot. We did the kids dinosaur ride that is like dumbo, met Minnie and Mickey, played in the playground and then headed back for the pool. We had the most fun at the Kidani pool and splash area. DD loved it so much. We were able to get a later reservation for Ohana that night so we decided to check out the poly after he nap and take DD to ride the monorail. We really enjoyed Ohana, the food was great, but the service was a bit slow and we did have to wait about 30 min past or reservation and arrived 30 min early to check in so it felt like we waited forever. I forgot firewoks were at 8 instead of 9pm so we were inside during them and their windows are so dark they were very hard to see. DH felt a lot better this day, so overall this was my favorite day. 

Day 6:
packed up and had breakfast at Boma which was awesome. Definitely worth the price. Then we headed to MK to try and get my family picture in front of the castle and ride DD's favorite rides again (dumbo, tea cups, wtp). 


Sorry that was so long...

Overall, I was thrilled with the trip even though DH was sick and I feel like we still got to do a lot. I LOVED the Kidani village room and it was so awesome to see giraffes, zebras and other animals from our balcony. DD was always checking for them it was so cute. It was pretty far from MK though and she had most of her breakdowns on the bus ride. The food and pool were awesome at the AKL, the only downside was the distance to MK. 

I am ready to book our next trip for end of Sept/Oct. Any tips for this time of year? I am looking at the Poly or BLT or should I considered the Epcot resorts?

[jeaniebueller]

Sound like a fun trip. My H is grumbling about our 8:40am breakfast reservations so I hear you about the sleeping in.

[cincodemayo]

We just got back too! I'm intrigued about the dessert party.

Glad you had so much fun!

[lauren170]

Glad the sitter worked out! I regret canceling that reservation!

We split our time at the Poly and Beach Club. If you're planning on multiple days at MK and going back to the hotel for nap, the Poly hands down. If you're planning on leisurely days and pool time, the Beach club pool was amazing. Our DD was happiest at the pool and "beach" the whole time.

ETA - one day we left MK around 10:40am (for DD's nap) and waited 50 minutes for the bus to the Beach Club.

[curbsideprophet]

Sounds like a good trip!

We went this past Oct and stayed at BLT. I really enjoyed being able to walk to MK. We had a theme park view and being able to watch the fireworks from the room was awesome. We went to MK on party days and the crowds were okay. We decided not to do the party, it just did not seem worth it to us. We did come over to MK on one non party day to see the MSEP.

Do you think you will go to F&W often? If so I would consider an Epcot resort. We only went to Epcot once so I am glad we did not prioritize that for our trip. We thought some of the adults might go out in the evenings while some stayed with the kids but that did not really happen.

[bronxgirl]

sounds fun

[marie3246]

Feb 4, 2016 20:48:20 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Sounds like a good trip!

We went this past Oct and stayed at BLT. I really enjoyed being able to walk to MK. We had a theme park view and being able to watch the fireworks from the room was awesome. We went to MK on party days and the crowds were okay. We decided not to do the party, it just did not seem worth it to us. We did come over to MK on one non party day to see the MSEP.

Do you think you will go to F&W often? If so I would consider an Epcot resort. We only went to Epcot once so I am glad we did not prioritize that for our trip. We thought some of the adults might go out in the evenings while some stayed with the kids but that did not really happen.

I'm honestly not sure. We did MK 3 times this trip (2 in the same day) and did all the other parks because we haven't been in several years and this was DD's first time. MK was definitely the best for DD and we may have spent even more time there if the bus rides were not so long. We didn't get to see a lot of the day parades (other than a few min of 1) so next time I would like to see more of these and the castle shows. We have never been to F&W and I would love to go, but Epcot was DD's worst day and least favorite park. I can see us hiring a sitting and going to this one night. 

I am so torn if we should do the Poly, BLT or BCV. DD doesn't do the best with heat so I see us going to the parks in the am (hopefully for RD if everyone isn't sick) and then going back to the hotel pool 12/1pm. I would like to see fantasmic and star wars fireworks if they are still going in the fall. Wishes again and I would like to eat at Saana again. We also didn't get to see Disney Springs so that is on the list.

[marie3246]

Feb 4, 2016 22:11:46 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

We stayed at Kidani too, but we didn't even attempt the buses - we drove and parked (but we didn't have any early reservations because we didn't book until past the 180 day mark and didn't get any). So I think you did great for dealing with a toddler on the bus!

I really didn't think we would attempt the buses before getting there. We had our car and it was easily parked right under our room. At first she was really excited to ride the buses to it was easy, but after about 10 min she was over it and wanted to get down and run away. DH handled the stroller the whole time so it is easy for me to say the stroller wasn't a big issue. I asked him today and he would much prefer to stay at a monorail resort where we didn't have to fold up the stroller. I am glad we took the stroller, but I still think it would have been fine without it. She is ok in it for a bit, but all the taking her in and out to go on the rides and parking it took up more time than I would have liked. Plus once she was out, she fought every time to get back into it and never once even came close to sleeping in it. 

[CheeringCharm]

Glad you had a fun trip!

[marie3246]

Feb 4, 2016 19:13:44 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

Glad the sitter worked out! I regret canceling that reservation!

We split our time at the Poly and Beach Club. If you're planning on multiple days at MK and going back to the hotel for nap, the Poly hands down. If you're planning on leisurely days and pool time, the Beach club pool was amazing. Our DD was happiest at the pool and "beach" the whole time.

ETA - one day we left MK around 10:40am (for DD's nap) and waited 50 minutes for the bus to the Beach Club.

How did the rooms compare to each other? I am so torn. I liked the size of the Kidani rooms, they were perfect for us. DD doesn't sleep well in the same room as us at all so we put her in the dark bathroom in her pack and play. It had the sink and shower and 1 room and the toilet in a separate room. It wasn't ideal not to have bathroom access after she was sleeping, but it ended up not being an issue. She was so tired that us going in there didn't wake her, we had another sink outside the bathroom to brush out teeth, she went to bed pretty late and there was a pool bathroom close to our room. I was looking at some of the room layouts and am worried her pack and play might not fit in the BLT bathrooms so that could be an issue for us.

[redheadk]

Feb 5, 2016 8:37:56 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

Feb 4, 2016 20:48:20 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Sounds like a good trip!

We went this past Oct and stayed at BLT. I really enjoyed being able to walk to MK. We had a theme park view and being able to watch the fireworks from the room was awesome. We went to MK on party days and the crowds were okay. We decided not to do the party, it just did not seem worth it to us. We did come over to MK on one non party day to see the MSEP.

Do you think you will go to F&W often? If so I would consider an Epcot resort. We only went to Epcot once so I am glad we did not prioritize that for our trip. We thought some of the adults might go out in the evenings while some stayed with the kids but that did not really happen.

I'm honestly not sure. We did MK 3 times this trip (2 in the same day) and did all the other parks because we haven't been in several years and this was DD's first time. MK was definitely the best for DD and we may have spent even more time there if the bus rides were not so long. We didn't get to see a lot of the day parades (other than a few min of 1) so next time I would like to see more of these and the castle shows. We have never been to F&W and I would love to go, but Epcot was DD's worst day and least favorite park. I can see us hiring a sitting and going to this one night. 

I am so torn if we should do the Poly, BLT or BCV. DD doesn't do the best with heat so I see us going to the parks in the am (hopefully for RD if everyone isn't sick) and then going back to the hotel pool 12/1pm. I would like to see fantasmic and star wars fireworks if they are still going in the fall. Wishes again and I would like to eat at Saana again. We also didn't get to see Disney Springs so that is on the list.

We stayed a beach club villas on our trip during food &a wine festival. We will stay at a MK resort next time. F&w is just not super child friendly, IMO. It's fine to grab something when doing the worlds but you can't really eat your way through with a small kid in tow very well. Plus, crowds.

It was worth it for us, my sis ran the half and I had an after party ticket so I just had to walk outside to cheer her on then walked right into Epcot. After we tried a ton of different foods and enjoyed Epcot, we walked back to our resort. Easy!!

But, for Dd's next trip, we will need to do more MK so I'd rather stay close to MK.

[curbsideprophet]

It was really easy to go back to the room at BLT for a midday break on MK days! Good luck trying to figure out the best option. It is hard when there are so many choices.

[sent]

Love reading these. Thanks for sharing!

[lauren170]

Feb 5, 2016 8:48:16 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

Feb 4, 2016 19:13:44 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

Glad the sitter worked out! I regret canceling that reservation!

We split our time at the Poly and Beach Club. If you're planning on multiple days at MK and going back to the hotel for nap, the Poly hands down. If you're planning on leisurely days and pool time, the Beach club pool was amazing. Our DD was happiest at the pool and "beach" the whole time.

ETA - one day we left MK around 10:40am (for DD's nap) and waited 50 minutes for the bus to the Beach Club.

How did the rooms compare to each other? I am so torn. I liked the size of the Kidani rooms, they were perfect for us. DD doesn't sleep well in the same room as us at all so we put her in the dark bathroom in her pack and play. It had the sink and shower and 1 room and the toilet in a separate room. It wasn't ideal not to have bathroom access after she was sleeping, but it ended up not being an issue. She was so tired that us going in there didn't wake her, we had another sink outside the bathroom to brush out teeth, she went to bed pretty late and there was a pool bathroom close to our room. I was looking at some of the room layouts and am worried her pack and play might not fit in the BLT bathrooms so that could be an issue for us.

We were in a DVC room at the Polynesian (in the Villas and Bungalows). We booked it through Disney Resorts though, and got a good promo since we went in January. This room type had 2 bathrooms, one with sink and shower, one with toilet, tub and sink. One of the bathrooms was big enough for a pack and play.

On the other hand, the standard Beach Club room we stayed in was a regular hotel room, and the pack and play had to be near the beds. Still think I might choose that resort next time because the pool + walking to HS and Epcot was so awesome.

[ilikedonuts]

If you are not going to spend a lot of time at Epcot/DHS, I would stay at a monorail resort rather then an Epcot resort. Plus F&W is insane especially in the evenings and weekends. I honestly have no desire to have my kids around that. Even just at noon when we went in 2014, we saw someone puking in the bushes and a bunch of asshole 20 something guys were drunk and basically ran over my kids because they were drunk and running everywhere while we were trying to get to our reservation at 4pm in the afternoon. Obviously this can happen any time because there are always people drinking there, but its just so much worse during F&W.

[ilikedonuts]

Feb 5, 2016 8:48:16 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

Feb 4, 2016 19:13:44 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

Glad the sitter worked out! I regret canceling that reservation!

We split our time at the Poly and Beach Club. If you're planning on multiple days at MK and going back to the hotel for nap, the Poly hands down. If you're planning on leisurely days and pool time, the Beach club pool was amazing. Our DD was happiest at the pool and "beach" the whole time.

ETA - one day we left MK around 10:40am (for DD's nap) and waited 50 minutes for the bus to the Beach Club.

How did the rooms compare to each other? I am so torn. I liked the size of the Kidani rooms, they were perfect for us. DD doesn't sleep well in the same room as us at all so we put her in the dark bathroom in her pack and play. It had the sink and shower and 1 room and the toilet in a separate room. It wasn't ideal not to have bathroom access after she was sleeping, but it ended up not being an issue. She was so tired that us going in there didn't wake her, we had another sink outside the bathroom to brush out teeth, she went to bed pretty late and there was a pool bathroom close to our room. I was looking at some of the room layouts and am worried her pack and play might not fit in the BLT bathrooms so that could be an issue for us.

The PnP should fit fine in the BLT bathroom. I've had it in bathrooms in both the 1 and 2 bedrooms there (and the bathroom in 1 of the bedrooms of the 2 bedroom is the same as the studio bathroom).

[marie3246]

Feb 5, 2016 15:10:51 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Feb 5, 2016 8:48:16 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

How did the rooms compare to each other? I am so torn. I liked the size of the Kidani rooms, they were perfect for us. DD doesn't sleep well in the same room as us at all so we put her in the dark bathroom in her pack and play. It had the sink and shower and 1 room and the toilet in a separate room. It wasn't ideal not to have bathroom access after she was sleeping, but it ended up not being an issue. She was so tired that us going in there didn't wake her, we had another sink outside the bathroom to brush out teeth, she went to bed pretty late and there was a pool bathroom close to our room. I was looking at some of the room layouts and am worried her pack and play might not fit in the BLT bathrooms so that could be an issue for us.

The PnP should fit fine in the BLT bathroom. I've had it in bathrooms in both the 1 and 2 bedrooms there (and the bathroom in 1 of the bedrooms of the 2 bedroom is the same as the studio bathroom).

This is good to know. I was looking at pictures and it really does not look like it will fit at all. I think am still leaving towards the Poly dvc due to the room layout since we would still be able to use the bathroom if we put her in the shower/sink area. Although right now I have the option to rent from someone who can book BLT now vs waiting til the end of this month or March to see if the Poly is still available at 7 months. I wish I could find a poly owner and book now, but that seems like a long shot. 

[marie3246]

Feb 5, 2016 14:56:59 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

Feb 5, 2016 8:48:16 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

How did the rooms compare to each other? I am so torn. I liked the size of the Kidani rooms, they were perfect for us. DD doesn't sleep well in the same room as us at all so we put her in the dark bathroom in her pack and play. It had the sink and shower and 1 room and the toilet in a separate room. It wasn't ideal not to have bathroom access after she was sleeping, but it ended up not being an issue. She was so tired that us going in there didn't wake her, we had another sink outside the bathroom to brush out teeth, she went to bed pretty late and there was a pool bathroom close to our room. I was looking at some of the room layouts and am worried her pack and play might not fit in the BLT bathrooms so that could be an issue for us.

We were in a DVC room at the Polynesian (in the Villas and Bungalows). We booked it through Disney Resorts though, and got a good promo since we went in January. This room type had 2 bathrooms, one with sink and shower, one with toilet, tub and sink. One of the bathrooms was big enough for a pack and play.

On the other hand, the standard Beach Club room we stayed in was a regular hotel room, and the pack and play had to be near the beds. Still think I might choose that resort next time because the pool + walking to HS and Epcot was so awesome.

Do you mind me asking what you paid per night for the poly renting thru dvc? We booked our last stay through dvc rental store instead of disney and found the rate to be so much cheaper than disney. I am a FL resident and annual passholder and still can't find any rates cheaper than renting points. This time I am thinking of renting directly through an owner, but I know there are more risks that way. 

[lauren170]

So we didn't rent points - we went through the Disney resort site. $3400 for meal plan, park hopper, and 5 nights for the room....

[ilikedonuts]

Feb 5, 2016 20:15:05 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

So we didn't rent points - we went through the Disney resort site. $3400 for meal plan, park hopper, and 5 nights for the room....

That's a really good price!

[lauren170]

Feb 5, 2016 21:16:05 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Feb 5, 2016 20:15:05 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

So we didn't rent points - we went through the Disney resort site. $3400 for meal plan, park hopper, and 5 nights for the room....

That's a really good price!

It was their January promo - i think it was the 25% of rack rate, but not quite sure. I called a couple of times to make sure I had the best promo and they dropped the price by like $200.

ETA - it was definitely time of year. My sister is going with her H's family in December and suggested we go too. I was looking and Poly with no package was $700/night. No way could afford that.

[ilikedonuts]

Feb 5, 2016 20:04:41 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

Feb 5, 2016 15:10:51 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

The PnP should fit fine in the BLT bathroom. I've had it in bathrooms in both the 1 and 2 bedrooms there (and the bathroom in 1 of the bedrooms of the 2 bedroom is the same as the studio bathroom).

This is good to know. I was looking at pictures and it really does not look like it will fit at all. I think am still leaving towards the Poly dvc due to the room layout since we would still be able to use the bathroom if we put her in the shower/sink area. Although right now I have the option to rent from someone who can book BLT now vs waiting til the end of this month or March to see if the Poly is still available at 7 months. I wish I could find a poly owner and book now, but that seems like a long shot. 

Poly is still available right now for both standard and lake view. If you found an owner to book exactly at the 7 month window, I'm sure you will be fine.

[marie3246]

Feb 6, 2016 17:09:06 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Feb 5, 2016 20:04:41 GMT -5 marie3246 said:

This is good to know. I was looking at pictures and it really does not look like it will fit at all. I think am still leaving towards the Poly dvc due to the room layout since we would still be able to use the bathroom if we put her in the shower/sink area. Although right now I have the option to rent from someone who can book BLT now vs waiting til the end of this month or March to see if the Poly is still available at 7 months. I wish I could find a poly owner and book now, but that seems like a long shot. 

Poly is still available right now for both standard and lake view. If you found an owner to book exactly at the 7 month window, I'm sure you will be fine.

awesome thank you for checking! I did find 1 owner I can rent from that can book exactly at 7 months since Poly isn't their home, but she told me she couldn't see any availability until the 7 month time so I am not so confident in her booking exactly in that window for me. I'm not sure if I should go through the owner since she is only charging $13 pp vs DVC rental store at 16pp.