This is our fourth annual trip to Disney World and by far the best. We are a family of 4 traveling from NC. We love coming in November right after the parks and hotels are decorated for Christmas but before the big holiday crowds arrived. This trip was from Nov 12-17th. We stayed at the Polynesian DVC side for the first time and this was by far the best hotel we have ever stayed at. We rented through DVC Rental Store as recommended by a friend and had a smooth experience. The grounds of the Poly were so beautiful. Excellent theming throughout. Reminded me of a stay at a Hawaiian hotel. The staff were gracious and kind to us, especially the pool staff who went out of their way to help my son overcome his fear of going down the water slide. Our kids, ages 4 and 7 LOVED the lava pool and water park area. Every day after the parks we would order take out delivered to the hotel and spend hours playing at the pool. We loved getting Dole Whips at the Pineapple Lanai poolside. Our 1 bedroom studio was the perfect amount of room for the 4 of us to share. We stayed in the Tokelau building. The proximity to the Ceremonial House, Pools, and Transportation Center and Bus Depot was so convenient. We didn’t have to walk far for much. I think we will always try to stay at the Poly from now on-the kids can’t stop talking about how it is their “favorite place they’ve ever stayed” and “can we live here one day.”
This was the first year we went without the dining plan. Didn’t regret it. We got an Amazon Prime Now delivery when we arrived for our breakfast, snacks, drinks, and alcohol for the week. This saved us a lot of money. We ordered a pizza or take out meal through Door Dash and got to try some new local restaurants. Flippers Pizza, Ford’s Garage and Toasted were all very good. Our first night we went to Disney Springs and ate at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ which was delicious. Very good fried chicken. I will say Disney Springs was very crowded or at least it felt that way with long lines into the Lego Store and Disney Store. We aren’t big shoppers but usually bring home a Christmas ornament and some t shirts which we could pick up at the resort shop or parks so we didn’t stay long.
The parks are operating at 25-35% capacity during our stay (at least that’s what we heard). The only thing I missed was the shows and entertainment. There were some impromptu parades and characters that would come out but I missed it most at Magic Kingdom.
That being said, we rode more rides than we ever had on any Disney trip. We kept saying “it will never be like this again.” I don’t know what the solution will be regarding fast pass when the parks open to full capacity. It will be interesting. This is the rides we did each day with younger kids in tow-we’ve never done this many rides. The longest wait we had was Slinky Dog at Hollywood Studios and Smuggler’s Run but while the lines are long due to social distancing, the lines move quickly and a lot of them faster than the stated wait time on the app or the ride.
Day 1 Epcot
Test Track
Mission Space Green
Soarin’
Living with the Land
Spaceship Earth
Nemo Ride
Figment Ride
“Remy Scavenger” hunt through the World Showcase. The kids loved this-it was a Remy sticker card-you look for him and his secret ingredient in each country and you get a prize at the end
Day 2 Magic Kingdom
Barnstormer 6x
Space Mountain 3x
Test track
Astro Orbiter 2x
Teacups ride
Aladdin
Holiday Jungle cruise
Pirates Ride
Thunder mountain rail 2x
Haunted mansion
—pool break and dinner at resort—
Took Monorail back and finished with Thunder mountain railroad
Seven Dwarf Mine Train
Day 3 Hollywood Studios
Aerosmith coaster 2x
Star tours 2x
Slinky Dog
Toy Story Mania
Rise of the Resistance (group 55)
Smugglers Run
Aerosmith coaster again
Lightning McQueen Racing Academy
Minnie and Mickey Runaway Railroad
Day 4 Animal Kingdom
Mt Everest coaster 6x
Triceratops ride
Dinosaur
Tough to be a Bug
Kali Rapids 2x
Avatar 2x
Navi River ride
Safari ride
Kali River Rapids 2x
Mt Everest ride 4x
We still can’t believe how many rides we got to do!
By the way, Disney did an excellent job enforcing masks, encouraging social distancing, and sanitizing the parks.
Now off to sleep and rest these sore feet. I’m going to bring two pairs of shoes next time and try to build in a rest day. Can’t wait to plan our next trip!
Happy Holidays to
This was the first year we went without the dining plan. Didn’t regret it. We got an Amazon Prime Now delivery when we arrived for our breakfast, snacks, drinks, and alcohol for the week. This saved us a lot of money. We ordered a pizza or take out meal through Door Dash and got to try some new local restaurants. Flippers Pizza, Ford’s Garage and Toasted were all very good. Our first night we went to Disney Springs and ate at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ which was delicious. Very good fried chicken. I will say Disney Springs was very crowded or at least it felt that way with long lines into the Lego Store and Disney Store. We aren’t big shoppers but usually bring home a Christmas ornament and some t shirts which we could pick up at the resort shop or parks so we didn’t stay long.
The parks are operating at 25-35% capacity during our stay (at least that’s what we heard). The only thing I missed was the shows and entertainment. There were some impromptu parades and characters that would come out but I missed it most at Magic Kingdom.
That being said, we rode more rides than we ever had on any Disney trip. We kept saying “it will never be like this again.” I don’t know what the solution will be regarding fast pass when the parks open to full capacity. It will be interesting. This is the rides we did each day with younger kids in tow-we’ve never done this many rides. The longest wait we had was Slinky Dog at Hollywood Studios and Smuggler’s Run but while the lines are long due to social distancing, the lines move quickly and a lot of them faster than the stated wait time on the app or the ride.
Day 1 Epcot
Test Track
Mission Space Green
Soarin’
Living with the Land
Spaceship Earth
Nemo Ride
Figment Ride
“Remy Scavenger” hunt through the World Showcase. The kids loved this-it was a Remy sticker card-you look for him and his secret ingredient in each country and you get a prize at the end
Day 2 Magic Kingdom
Barnstormer 6x
Space Mountain 3x
Test track
Astro Orbiter 2x
Teacups ride
Aladdin
Holiday Jungle cruise
Pirates Ride
Thunder mountain rail 2x
Haunted mansion
—pool break and dinner at resort—
Took Monorail back and finished with Thunder mountain railroad
Seven Dwarf Mine Train
Day 3 Hollywood Studios
Aerosmith coaster 2x
Star tours 2x
Slinky Dog
Toy Story Mania
Rise of the Resistance (group 55)
Smugglers Run
Aerosmith coaster again
Lightning McQueen Racing Academy
Minnie and Mickey Runaway Railroad
Day 4 Animal Kingdom
Mt Everest coaster 6x
Triceratops ride
Dinosaur
Tough to be a Bug
Kali Rapids 2x
Avatar 2x
Navi River ride
Safari ride
Kali River Rapids 2x
Mt Everest ride 4x
We still can’t believe how many rides we got to do!
By the way, Disney did an excellent job enforcing masks, encouraging social distancing, and sanitizing the parks.
Now off to sleep and rest these sore feet. I’m going to bring two pairs of shoes next time and try to build in a rest day. Can’t wait to plan our next trip!
Happy Holidays to
