By now it was late afternoon, and Liam wanted to go and spend some time in the pool. He went off ahead of us partway through the show, and we followed him once it had ended. But not before some last photos of the day in Magic Kingdom…
Starting with Partners – the statues of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. The plaque on the statue’s plinth says:
“We believe in our idea: a family park where parents and children could have fun – together” – Walt Disney
I always take photos of the balloons – I love them! Something to buy on the way out of the park and float in your room for the duration of your holiday. I did that in 2015 with a purple Mickey balloon. It was, I think, $15; so when you see a lone balloon floating high in the sky because it got loose from someone’s hand, I feel the pain of that expensive balloon!
If you buy a balloon, tie it to a stroller if you’re using one, or round your child’s (or your) wrist so that it doesn’t go skyward!
And finally the view down Main Street USA to the Town Square with the Christmas decorations and the Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree.
Judging by people sitting on the kerb, I would say it is approaching Festival of Fantasy Parade time… which we didn’t see a single time on this trip!
Once back at Poly, we joined Liam in the Oasis Pool. This is the quiet pool, could be classed as the DVC pool as it’s right next to the DVC Longhouses. We were in Tokelau on this trip and our room was literally one of the closest you could get to the pool which was good for Liam as he spent a lot of time in the pool on this trip!
It would appear that since our first stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in 2016, the cabanas at this pool are no longer free. There is a charge to use them, which is likely to be seasonal too. Disney’s Mom Panel tells me it is $25 for half a day, and $40 for a full day. The fee is for the seating area under the cabana are only, no extra amenities are included.
I am guessing that people were probably hogging these by leaving their towels and stuff, which is why a charge came into play. A shame really, as for the prices people pay to stay at a Deluxe Resort, having this additional fee is a bit off in my opinion. Perhaps in the height of summer it gets really busy here, but I’ve never seen more than maybe a couple dozen people here at one time. There is a LOT of seating around this pool!
We didn’t have dinner reservations for that evening; instead we decided to try the Polynesian Twilight Feast, which is the in-room dining from ‘Ohaha – the popular table service restaurant at the Poly. I had read about this online and thought it would be something different to try out.
I had also read that you get a lot of food, so don’t need to order for your whole party – you could get away with maybe one serving of the food between the two of you; whereas in the restaurant itself you have to pay for everyone at the table.
Because ‘Ohana is busy and it can sometimes be hard to snag an ADR here, so the Polynesian Twilight Feast is a great option if you are staying at the Poly.
It is served between 5:00pm and 10:00pm, and it’s best to place your order several hours in advance. We phoned through in the morning, and ordered the Feast for two, for the three of us – which was plenty of food.
The cost was $40 for adults (ages 10 and over) or $20 for children (ages 9 and under). I have read on forums, that this has now changed, and they’ve done away with the kids price and upped the adult price; as well as (allegedly) making the portions smaller.
I cannot confirm this, but next time we stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, I’ll update my findings. Although, to be fair, that won’t be until at least 2020, so who knows by then what it will be!
Polynesian Twilight Feast
Experience a complete in-room dining adventure for the entire family. You will enjoy the same delicacies feature in the ‘Ohana dining room.
A selection of guests’ favorites including Spiced Chicken Wings, Asian-Style Pot Stickers, Yakisoba Noodles, Stir-Friend Vegetables and our special ‘Ohana Sunset Punch; followed with our Skewered Meats and Oak-Grilled Shrimp seasoned and cooked to perfection.
Then we top it all off with our famous Bread Pudding which finishes this magnificent feast.
Not mentioned in the menu description is the huge bowl of yummy salad which is described as a Mixed Greens Salad with a Lilikoi Dressing. What is lilikoi you ask? Well, *searches online* it’s a fruit very similar to a passion fruit. I love salad any way, but this one is particularly delicious. I love the edamame beans and the crispy wontons as they add a different texture to the salad.
You also get a portion of Welcome Bread – which is a Pineapple-Coconut Bread – that I don’t actually think tastes much of either!
When you dine at ‘Ohana, these two items are your starter. With the Polynesian Twilight Feast everything is served together, so just tuck right in – and that we did!
The noodles and vegetables came served piled high on a plate with the pot stickers on top; and then another plate was filled with rice, cubes of steak, sticky chicken wings, and peel-and-eat shrimp – so good! We also had pots of peanut, and sweet-n-sour sauces to go with.
We also had a big jug full of Sunset Punch which I believe is POG juice – pineapple, orange and guava – topped off with Sprite.
Dessert was the delicious ‘Ohana Bread Pudding – which we had to defer to eating well after our main meal as we were too full! It comes with a pot of caramel sauce with sliced bananas. It doesn’t come with the ice-cream that is served with it in ‘Ohana though. It’s still good though!
Polynesian Twilight Feast » Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort In-Room Dining
Bill: $83 + Tax: $5.40 + Tip: $14.40 = $102.80
TiW Discount: $n/a
Total Paid: $102.80
The extra $3 on the bill is a “trip charge”, and the tip is an automatic 18%. I guess you can also tip the Cast Member in cash too… it’s a heavy tipping culture in the USA.
We really enjoyed our Polynesian Twilight Feast, and paid a lot less than we would have done in ‘Ohana for the three of us. Something we would definitely do again on future trips.
After dinner, we had a wander through the resort, and I did a spot of shopping in Bou-Tiki – because of course I would!
And with that, today is over! Tomorrow is the first of our Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trails – where we visited seven different Resorts. Throughout this trip we literally visited every single Walt Disney World Resort Hotel to look at their Christmas decorations!
Read about the day after:
Day 3: Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trail Part 1
Art of Animation / Pop Century / Caribbean Beach / Old Key West / Port Orleans French Quarter / Lunch at Sassagoula Float Works & Food Factory / Port Orleans Riverside / Wilderness Lodge / Dinner from Captain Cook’s
Read about the day before:
Day 1: Here We Go Again!
Travel Day – LGW-MCO / Check-in: Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows / Dinner from Captain Cook’s