We brought you the news of our upcoming Walt Disney World vacation in Planning A Disney Trip in 2020. We knew there would be changes as our vacation date approached, but we had no idea just how it would change! Most vacations to Walt Disney World evolve as you continue to plan and near the travel date. Planning a Disney trip in 2020 is no exception. Hopefully, in the end, you have an incredible visit to the most magical place on Earth!
The most exciting change to our trip is that we will be staying at Disney’s Polynesian Villas. I can’t help but feel like the mother ship is calling me home! We love Coronado Springs and would have been lucky to stay there. Many of Disney’s resorts, Coronado Springs included, are filling up and becoming very busy due to the limited number of resorts open to regular guests. The Polynesian Village Resort is closed, but the Villas & Bungalows are open to Disney Vacation Club members. We purchased points on a secondary market from someone who cannot use their points this year. This is a great way to stay at these Vacation Club resorts that are not open to the public. It will be very quiet and relaxing, something we really want after a day at the parks.
Beyond the quiet, relaxing ambiance of this tropical oasis, the amenities offered at this resort are cause for celebration. The Great Ceremonial House is home to the cleverly themed BouTiki shop, as well as the many food options available. Capt. Cook’s is a favorite quick service of ours and we can’t wait to have Tonga Toast for breakfast. Pineapple Lanai is located here, which means we will be up to our eyeballs in, you guessed it, Dole Whip! Kona Cafe and Tambu Lounge are also open. Ohana, my personal favorite, is temorarily closed. Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace are closed, but we can still sit on the terrace and enjoy the view of Cinderella Castle across Seven Seas Lagoon. We will have access to the main Lava Volcano Pool and the Oasis Quiet Pool.
We are staying in a deluxe studio villa, which means two bathrooms! Two bathrooms are a necessity for four girls in one room. DVC is housed in the Pago Pago, Moorea and Tokelau longhouses, all which are close to the Oasis Pool and a short walk to the Ticket & Transportation Center. Since the monorail station is closed at the Great Ceremonial House, we can access the monorail from the TTC and take it to Magic Kingdom. Bus service is available for the other parks and Disney Springs.
Our time in the parks and at Disney Springs may change now as the Polynesian Resort is one you spend as much time at as possible. We still plan to spend two days in both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Hollywood Studios remains at one day, but we have added a second day to Epcot. We plan to get to the parks early and spend our evenings at Disney Springs or at the Poly.
Once we officially chose our park days, we changed a few of our dining plans. We decided to keep our Via Napoli reservation for our first night at EPCOT. The park hours have been extended and EPCOT is now open until 10 pm. A table service meal will give us an opportunity to sit down and take off the mask for a bit. In celebration of Tina’s 21st birthday, we are having a late dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant in Beasts’ Castle at Magic Kingdom. For our other EPCOT park day, we might dine at San Angel Inn inside the Mexico pavilion. Our reservations for Sanaa and Chef Mickeys have been cancelled but we haven’t made a final decision on Beaches N’ Cream.
You can follow the countdown calendar on our homepage to see how close the trip is. Also, come along with us during our vacation by following us on facebook and instagram. We will be posting lots of photos and stories while we are there. We are excited to connect with you and share everything! Leave us a comment or question below. You can also message us on the “Contact Us” page.