Polynesian Village and Under the Sea

SunshinesOrangeBird

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
My Family and I have been on a transition as we relocate from the Boston Area to the Philadelphia Area so out travel experience wasn’t unified. My wife was meeting my DD and I at Orlando International, as she came down via JFK and I from Logan Airport.

Friday, Oct. 28th 2016

My Daughter is 15 Months old and traveling alone with her was NOT fun. She is in that stage of her life where she just wants to walk and run, so sitting on my lap, for her, was unbearable. To make things worse, I was the middle seat, and I want to thank the people next to me for being amazingly non-judgmental. The good part is that the flight was only 3 hours and It went as quickly as it came, and the thought of being in Disney and seeing my wife was all the thought I needed to get through this experience.


A1.jpg

We finally arrive at 11 AM, at MCO, where my wife was there to greet us at the Airport. We were excited to see each other and looked forward to an amazing vacation at Disney World. We went to retrieve our luggage and went straight to Disney’s Magical Express. We have only been DVC Members since 2015, and this trip was our second DVC Vacation, and we were excited to stay at the newly added Polynesian Village Villas!

As a Disney Vacation Club Member there is nothing like coming home! The Polynesian Village as you walk in has this amazing feeling of comfort. They say aloha and they give you lays. As you enter the Grand Ceremonial House, you can smell the hibiscus, it was welcoming and pleasant. I can’t say enough good things about this resort. What was truly magical is how that resort changes as you walk through it, when you’re in the pool area it is fun and excited and as you walk back to your room along the beach the mood changes to relaxing and clam. Staying at this resort is a masterpiece in itself.

My wife’s sister and husband just happened to be in Orlando at the time, so they stayed with us the first night. After a short bus drive to the Poly, we were able to check in and go to lunch. We ate at Kona Café. My wife and I, love Kona Café, we rarely go for lunch or dinner, and are usually there for breakfast, but Kona did not disappoint. My wife and I had the Polynesian Plate, I had the chicken and she had the Teriyaki version, it was delicious, I would recommend this dish to anyone!

We changed and got ready for an afternoon in the park. We got on the Monorail (Which is an out of this world benefit) and took it to Epcot to meet my sister and brother-in-law. We had fast passes, for Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, and Frozen: Ever After. We did the first two and Frozen was in the evening. We walked around world showcase and had many different plates at Food and Wine.


B1.jpg
B2.jpg

Food and Wine was a lot of fun this year. But I will be critical of it, the walkways at times were unbearable and it was hard to walk around people as they stood in the middle. As people remained in the walk ways, noise levels were an issue. I have always felt that the “tasters” were expensive and you can get a whole appetizer for the same price. With that said it was good to experience it. The following were our favorites. The Green-lip Muscles at New Zealand: (OMG, these were the best, and it was cheap, $4 for three stuffed muscles, it was delicious), The Lamp Chop at Australia: (My wife has three, I don’t eat red meat, but she and my daughter loved it). We had other items, but nothing comes to mind that was particularly exceptional.



B3.jpg B3.jpg B4.jpg B5.jpg B6.jpg


My brother-in-law purchased the $20 win package that gave you three wine tasters from three different countries, France, Italy and Germany. This was a pretty cool deal! They gave you a sheet, and then proceeded to stamp the sheet when you got your three samples. I would do this again; it’s also all year round. I go to Disney a lot, and I hadn’t heard about this till now, I would recommend this for people that love wine and want to save.




The Imagineers that produced Frozen: Ever After did a great job using new and innovative technology to shield you from the reality of being on the same track. The animatronics were very awesome, however the actual ride and story was lacking. The best part of the Norway expansion, was the area, expanding the Norway area gave new life to Norway and I enjoyed it. They did a phenomenal job with Anna and Elsa’s Summer Home Area.

The five of us headed back to the Polynesian Resort. MY brother-in-law and I went to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. This is an experience everyone has to do. It is so much fun; the whole bar comes to life and does different things when different drinks are services. It is truly an amazing experience and Disney definitely stepped up in creating this place. A word of warning, the mixed drinks are horrible.

D1.jpg

Saturday, Oct 29th 2016

This day was our Magic Kingdom day. We went in the morning got our coffees from Starbucks on Main St. and proceeded to Adventureland. We did a couple of attractions, like Jungle Cruise, before lunch. We had lunch at Skipper Canteen. Skipper Canteen was very good. I had the noodles in duck broth while my wife had the fried chicken. I would say the best part of this meal was the appetizers, we got the falafel plate. The falafel plate was good because they paired it with a nice cucumber yogurt, very tasty! I would come back here for sure. We ate with my DW’s friend and her husband from work that just moved to FL. They love Disney like us, so it was exciting to hang out with them for the morning.


E1.jpg E2.jpg
full

full

full






We proceeded to have an enjoyable day at the Magic Kingdom, the lines were not long and we participated in a lot of attractions that we don’t usually do like Philharmagic and Dumbo. After hours of fun we had dinner reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern at 8pm.


full
full

full

full
full

full





At that point we were exhausted and we just wanted to eat and head back to our resort. We have eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern and I have enjoyed it many times, however, this trip not so much. They were way behind schedule and we have to wait over a half an hour to actually be seated. The restaurant was very noisy and our server was nowhere to be seen most of the time. You can tell that the atmosphere was flustered and rushed. However, as usual, I enjoyed the food and I love a good thanksgiving meal. After we left we went straight back to the resort for much needed sleep.

full
 
Last edited:
Sunday, Oct 30th 2016

Animal Kingdom here we come! We headed to Animal Kingdom early morning, and as the day before, we stopped at Starbucks, this time, on Discover Island, before heading to Kilimanjaro Safari. Kilimanjaro was very cool this time, because a giraffe was literally three feet from our truck. This ride is truly amazing because no matter how many times you go, you will have a different experience. We went to the Festival of the Lion King because my daughter loves the acrobatic performers. We also headed to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Our DD was obsessed with the goats and she loved betting them, this was worth the train ride there, because it alleviated a lot of energy.

full

full

full


full





For Lunch we went to Tusker House. And I cannot say this enough, THE FOOD WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. OMG, everyone needs to experience this place, I cannot believe I hadn’t come here until this trip. The flavors are African, Indian and Asian, but you can find anything you like. I am a big curry guy and it was just beyond my wildest dreams. Having the characters there was a perk, and the characters come up to your table and you get your two minutes with each one. I would go back to this place and I have no criticism, what so ever. After lunch, we headed back to the Polynesian where our daughter could rest before heading back to Animal Kingdom.


full

full
full

full

full

full

full

full

full

full




After rest, we went back to Animal Kingdom, the reason we headed back was to check out the new tree of life projection show. We ate a Flame Tree BBQ, because you can use your Tables in Wonderland Card there, and the food was good if you like BBQ. We headed back to the tree of life for the show. The Projection Show was great, they did a good job, and it is amazing to see how they were able to visually bring the tree of life animals to life. This projection show definitely goes up there with celebrate the magic and other like shows.

full

full

full

full

full

full



Monday, Oct 31st 2016

This day is Halloween and we had purchased Mickey’s Not So Scary Tickets well in advanced so we decided today would be the day we would sleep in and relax by the pool until the party.

We had put on our Hawaiian outfits and headed to Kona Cafe for Breakfast. Food was amazing there as usual and we had amazing service, as is typical at the Polynesian. We swam, played and tanned at the main pool and it was fun. After a day at the pool we went back to our room so our DD could have a nap. While she napped we started getting our costumes ready.

full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
 
Last edited:
We decided that are family was going to go to the party as Prince Eric and Ariel, with baby Ursula. We wanted her to be Ursula because she is our sea witch for sure. The party was fun; the best part was the parade. Our DD enjoyed the music and the floats and danced on my shoulders for the whole time. We ate lots of candy and enjoyed short lines for big attractions. The party was great; however, since it was Halloween I think it was probably the busiest party. If I do this again I would not go on Halloween. I would bet that the September parties are probably the most relaxing, but you don’t get to say you dressed up and went to the Magic Kingdom on Halloween.

full
full
full
full


full

full



Tuesday, Nov. 1st 2016


We woke up on our last full day and went back to Magic Kingdom for the morning, about two hours. It was remarkable seeing that the next day all the Halloween decorations were gone, and Christmas had taken over Main St. The team that transformed the park overnight is truly impressive. We did a lot of favorites like People Mover and Carousel of Progress before heading back to the resort. While walking out of the Magic Kingdom, we were able to get on a short hidden line for Snow White, and I am blessed to have, because we got truly amazing pictures.

full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full
full



We headed back and had meals at the Polynesian before putting our DD for her afternoon nap. We headed to Epcot, after an hour delay because DD needed a nap, we missed our San Angels Inn Reservation, and they couldn’t take us because they were switching from lunch to dinner. We were disappointed, but luckily, La Hacienda on the water was able to take us. This restaurant was never on our radar because it isn’t listed as a Table in Wonderland restaurant. But this was a big find; this comes as the No. 1 Restaurant of our trip! The food was so good and I am speechless just remembering it. We got the Del Mar, which was shrimp, scallops, snapper, and vegetables in a skillet that had the most amazing sauce, this served two. It came with homemade tortillas and rice. I want to go back right now just thinking about. It was so good! Now I know why people don’t think San Angels Inn is good, because with this to compare it with, it’s like comparing Brie to American cheese. Anyone that is reading this, YOU HAVE TO GO!

full
full
full
full
full




We enjoyed Epcot and walked to the Boardwalk to get ice cream at the new ice cream parlor. We had delicious ice cream and it was a nice walk, on our next trip we are staying at the Boardwalk, so it was a fun preview of the trip to come. We took a bus to the Magic Kingdom, but since we were the only ones there and the Cast Member was so nice, he just dropped us off at the Polynesian. We were so grateful.


Wednesday, Nov. 2nd 2016


This day was our last day, and we headed to Hollywood Studios. In the morning we went to see Beauty and the Beast and checked out Disney Junior and Star Wars characters.


full
full
full
full



We ate at Hollywood Brown Derby. Food here was amazing, and this is our No. 2 best restaurant of our trip. I had a grilled fish that was paired with a lobster tail, delicious. They did a great job. My DW got a chicken dish that was also delicious and had a creamy sauce. But other than the food, what makes this place special is all the Hollywood characters that come up to you and interact with your family. They were incredibly funny and it really was a fun take on the 20’s. I have already booked this restaurant for our next trip, this is how much I loved it.


For lunch we met up with our friends that used to be cast members, and then we went to meet Donald Duck. Donald and Daisy were their fun loving selves and I loved it. We headed to Epcot via boat and went to the France Pavilion for baked good. I love France’s Beignets, they are filled with Nutella and they are just the most delicious desert you can find on Disney property, get it!


full

full


We ended the day with Spaceship Earth, and then we boarded the monorail to finally go to back to the Polynesian. We ended the trip with dole whips at the Polynesian and headed on the Magical Express as it took us back home. This was an amazing trip and we loved every minute of it. We can’t wait to go back! New Adventures awaits us.

full
 
Last edited:



GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!









Top