The *NEW* Polynesian Resort FAQ thread - *2008*

[CDolacki2003]

Oh well you are farther than we are. We are in Tennessee. My husband made jokes about how we could be like the Griswald's.....

As long as he doesn't get us lost like Clark did all time on every vacation we should be good. And I also hope my husband doesn't snap and stop by a pawn shop, purchase a fake gun, and use it on WDW security if they dare to tell us no on anything.

I'm trying to calm my nerves, but I've talk to people who have lived in Florida, and they say it's basically a straight shot.

Please make sure Clark puts the dog is in the kennel And your Grandma stays at home

My DH is an electrician and when he strings the Christmas light on the house every year I tell him to be careful and not pull a Sparky (Clark falling off the ladder ).

We are a few hours farther than you guys, we will keep a lookout for the station wagon when we pass through. I am actually looking forward to driving. We are doing the Disney cruise after the Poly stay and I want to bring home rum.

 

[CDolacki2003]

Anchor Bar- wow! Have you ever tried La Nova Wings? I am prejudiced though because my cousin owns this place. Anchor Bar is the originator of Wings though. I will take the wait as well for my trip- can plan obsessively still

This is why we are so fat here in Buffalo- because all of the good food!!

Ohioians just dont know how to make wings or pizza. I am originally from CT but lived in Utica for a few year in High School. I am going to jot down La Nova and we will try it this hockey season.

Between all the sausage and pierogies here in Cleveland no wonder we are the fattest city in the nation

 

[kimisabella]

Andrea...LOVE the pix! Thanks for sharing! I have to ask what that dessert was at Kona! OMG it looks sooo fun! Is that something special for a bday or special occassion or is it on the menu! My girls would FLIP if something like that came out!!!

Picabo - that is the "Kona Kone", it is obviously a cone of ice cream w/cotton candy and is surrounded by cups of different toppings - also has a chocolate mickey head - it's on the regular menu, but it is not on the children's menu - it is only for the adults. The kids get a make your own sundae for their dessert. My dh ordered it, but it is so big he shared some w/ everyone.

 

[lustergirl]

Ohioians just dont know how to make wings or pizza. I am originally from CT but lived in Utica for a few year in High School. I am going to jot down La Nova and we will try it this hockey season.

Between all the sausage and pierogies here in Cleveland no wonder we are the fattest city in the nation

My sister lives in Missouri. On my first and only trip there they wanted me to try the pizza- no way. They definitely can't make pizza like us Buffalonians!!

 

[cmesq61]

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered somewhere in these 260++ pages and so I apologize for the repeat: How do you Poly veterans get to the GF and Contemporary for a 7 AM ADR? We could walk to the GF (well I in my ECV and the family walking). Is the Contemporary too far to walk? I was told the special character breakfast bus does not go from the Poly to the other MK resorts, but only from resorts to parks, although if it went Poly--GF--Contemporary I don't see why we couldn't ride it. And, although I am going to try and avoids the busses like the plague with my ECV, I also don't want to have to learn how to take apart my ECV in order to take a taxi. Thoughts?
27 days. OMG. Even my too cool teens are getting excited!!

 

[Picabo]

Picabo - that is the "Kona Kone", it is obviously a cone of ice cream w/cotton candy and is surrounded by cups of different toppings - also has a chocolate mickey head - it's on the regular menu, but it is not on the children's menu - it is only for the adults. The kids get a make your own sundae for their dessert. My dh ordered it, but it is so big he shared some w/ everyone.

Ya I'm fairly certain that'd be plenty to share! LOL I'll probably give mine to the girls and I'll take the sundae instead. WOW, what a treat to have cotton candy with a HUGE ice cream sundae cone! woohoo! Thanks for posting. I'd never seen that before!

 

[kimisabella]

HI!

We would love to rent a boat while we are there. Was that a pontoon boat? that is what we were thinking of. How did it go? How long did you rent it for? Thanks for all the help!

That's not the pontoon boat, it's the 17' boat - the pontoon boat is larger and will fit more people. The boat we rented cost $45/half hour - we only rented it for a 1/2 hour since we were limited on time and needed to get to the MK for EMH & dinner - it was fun and DH loves boats so he was happy, just don't expect it to go very fast - it doesn't.

 

[team disney]

Hi Team disney, I agree with you. I would pay for the luau OOP and save your 2TS. I have found we spend much more then $50 when we eat at the signiture restaurants. Have you ever tried Narcosee's at GF, their food is great, they even have lobster on the menu. On our last visit we used our 2TS for dinner, DH ordered lobster, I order filet, we shared. Much less expensive then their surf and turf entree. Just an idea.

Thank you for your help!! I thought maybe this post got burried or forgotten! I have not tried Narcosee's yet.... there is always next year!
Yes, I think we might pay oop for this. I am going to do the math on our other planned meals to see if it make sense. I have more TS meals booked then I have on the program. (I have 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 4 dinners set up for TS... I only get 5 of those for free... the luau would use 2ts meal points leaving me with only 3 for the rest of the trip. SO maybe I use 3ts dinners 1ts lunch and 1 ts breakfast. pay for the 4th dinner which is the Luau and the 2 other ts breakfasts) LOL I am so laughing at myself right now
Does this even make sense to anyone but me!! ?? Is anyone still reading this?


Lastly, Can I get Chocolate chip pancakes at Capt. cooks? Dh will be really sad iff he does not get his chocolate chip pancakes like the ones we got at POR FQ

 

[Picabo]

Can anyone tell me how long it will take to get from the Poly to DHS?

Trying to figure out what to do on the day we want to see Fantasmic and the Light Spectacular.... our girls will be 2 1/2 and 4 and MOST days they will need an break or at least not a full day of Go Go Go. So trying to figure out if we should go Poly - DHS, back to Poly to rest and then back out to DHS in the evening. I envision the bus taking For-Ever that we won't want to go back and forth like that.

THANKS!

 

[BootsJessie]

Does anyone know, can you take tote / duffel bags with handles and wheels into the parks?
I thought I read somewhere that you couldn't but I can't find it now.

Thanks,

 

[BCV23]

Is there anything at Capt Cooks that you can grab for bkfst by using just a snack credit? (Muffins/danish, etc) I hate to waste a CS credit on a $4.99 order of Tonga Toast! LOL

IE is there anything else on the menu that what I see on AllEars?

There are quite a few different pastries for which you should be able to use a snack credit. The Kona coffee bar also sells pastries.

The menu on Allears has never been complete for CCs for some reason.

Did you by any chance eat breakfast there? If so, how was it and what would you suggest?

Going in Nov. and pretty nervous about the breakfast there. After staying at the Riverside, whose quick service was awesome, we're afraid we're going to be let down. We're planning on eating all our B-fast there for 8 days.

Any honest opinions?

The deluxe hotels do not carry as great an assortment in their counter service spots as the mods and values....I imagine to encourage us all to visit the full service restaurants or use room service. But breakfast is good at CCs. For 8 days, I would certainly mix it up though. We do most of our breakfasts at Kona which is excellent. We enjoy room service too. If you're set on counter service, maybe mix it up by visiting Gasparilla's at the GF when you're on your way to the MK some mornings. Or pick up brekafast in the parks.

Our first trip coming up too! Down to 3 days now!!! Just placed our Garden Grocer order last night, it's almost time !!

As for the Volcano Pool, I've read it's open 24 hrs, except for when they're cleaning it. The lifeguards however leave at 10 pm. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

The slide closes when the lifeguards leave. It may have changed but in slower or cooler seasons that was usually earlier than 10pm. Have fun....you're so close now!

Could anyone tell me if they have instant oatmeal packets in the concierge lounge in the morning?

Thanks!!

This is really just a bump for you since I'm not sure. Oatmeal used to be served...not packets but the real stuff. But I'm pretty sure that's no longer the case. I've never seen packets there.

I have a question about the Club Level Itineary Office (yes I probably butchered that spelling- ha). I am not going until Thankgiving Week 09 so how soon should I call them. I booked my trip online through the disney website and I have READ somewhere on these boards that they may not have my house or email address??

I would contact them a couple weeks before you hit the 180 mark if you want them to make reservations for you. Have fun. Club level is outstanding at the Polynesian.

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered somewhere in these 260++ pages and so I apologize for the repeat: How do you Poly veterans get to the GF and Contemporary for a 7 AM ADR? We could walk to the GF (well I in my ECV and the family walking). Is the Contemporary too far to walk? I was told the special character breakfast bus does not go from the Poly to the other MK resorts, but only from resorts to parks, although if it went Poly--GF--Contemporary I don't see why we couldn't ride it. And, although I am going to try and avoids the busses like the plague with my ECV, I also don't want to have to learn how to take apart my ECV in order to take a taxi. Thoughts?
27 days. OMG. Even my too cool teens are getting excited!!

Just hop on the monorail. It begins running at 7am and the restaurants know this and won't penalize you for being a few minutes late. You can't walk to the CR but it's a short walk from to the GF...about 10 minutes from the GCH. You could easily make that walk if you want. Have fun!

Thank you for your help!! I thought maybe this post got burried or forgotten! I have not tried Narcosee's yet.... there is always next year!
Yes, I think we might pay oop for this. I am going to do the math on our other planned meals to see if it make sense. I have more TS meals booked then I have on the program. (I have 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 4 dinners set up for TS... I only get 5 of those for free... the luau would use 2ts meal points leaving me with only 3 for the rest of the trip. SO maybe I use 3ts dinners 1ts lunch and 1 ts breakfast. pay for the 4th dinner which is the Luau and the 2 other ts breakfasts) LOL I am so laughing at myself right now
Does this even make sense to anyone but me!! ?? Is anyone still reading this?


Lastly, Can I get Chocolate chip pancakes at Capt. cooks? Dh will be really sad iff he does not get his chocolate chip pancakes like the ones we got at POR FQ

No pancakes at Captain Cooks. But there are pancakes on the menu of Kona and room service. Can't remember if chocolate chip pancakes are offered but they might be able to do it for you anyway.

I agree about paying OOP for the Luau.

Can anyone tell me how long it will take to get from the Poly to DHS?

Trying to figure out what to do on the day we want to see Fantasmic and the Light Spectacular.... our girls will be 2 1/2 and 4 and MOST days they will need an break or at least not a full day of Go Go Go. So trying to figure out if we should go Poly - DHS, back to Poly to rest and then back out to DHS in the evening. I envision the bus taking For-Ever that we won't want to go back and forth like that.

THANKS!

I occasionally have taken the bus back from DHS if we split up after lunch. It never takes too long but I just hop whichever comes first....TTC/MK or Polynesian.

Does anyone know, can you take tote / duffel bags with handles and wheels into the parks?
I thought I read somewhere that you couldn't but I can't find it now.

Thanks,

I've read that on the DIS too but don't know if it's true or not. But such a prohibition makes sense to me. The parks and especially the queues get crowded and I can see rolling packs being a hazard for other guests. There are lockers though. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[lustergirl]

Thanks BC- you are very helpful!!

 

[Mrs.Prince]

I don't know if I should ask that here, but if you have counter service credits left can you exchange it for a table service credit???

Sorry I just don't know.

Just out of curiousity: How many pictures did you end of taking?

 

[BCV23]

Thanks BC- you are very helpful!!

You're welcome. I love this thread because we all help each other out.

I don't know if I should ask that here, but if you have counter service credits left can you exchange it for a table service credit???

Sorry I just don't know.

No, you can't.

I think sometimes/maybe always during free dining they've allowed TS credits to be converted to QS but never the other way around.

 

[eyenjeff]

HI,

We are going to the Poly in Dec and right now we are in a gv room and I keep thinking about upgrading to the CL. Is this something that you can do with a phone call? Or make a new reservation? I tried to go online and it says there are no rooms avail for CL the time we are going. DO they give certain rooms for CL? Is it possible that they are really sold out? Maybe I should just give them a call......???? Any thoughts on the upgrading thing in general or what to do about it? (btw, we are on the ddp w/park hopper tickets, maybe with the ddp, CL isnt worth it?) Or here is a thought, is CL worth more than the DDP? and we should ditch the DDP and use CL. But then there is the thing about not spending that much time at the resort, and spending alot of time in the parks.....Oh my!!! SO much to think about!

 

[RachelTori]

HI,

We are going to the Poly in Dec and right now we are in a gv room and I keep thinking about upgrading to the CL. Is this something that you can do with a phone call? Or make a new reservation? I tried to go online and it says there are no rooms avail for CL the time we are going. DO they give certain rooms for CL? Is it possible that they are really sold out? Maybe I should just give them a call......???? Any thoughts on the upgrading thing in general or what to do about it? (btw, we are on the ddp w/park hopper tickets, maybe with the ddp, CL isnt worth it?) Or here is a thought, is CL worth more than the DDP? and we should ditch the DDP and use CL. But then there is the thing about not spending that much time at the resort, and spending alot of time in the parks.....Oh my!!! SO much to think about!

Poly CL is often sold out! But definitely call. They can upgrade your current reservation if there is availability.

If there is "no availability" the first time you call, don't give up - keep trying (every few days, or every morning if you can!) - cancellations happen! Good luck!

 

[CruisingCamper]

Looks like my trip to Poly may be on hold for now!! There's a new hurricane!!

 

[seashellmom]

Poly CL is often sold out! But definitely call. They can upgrade your current reservation if there is availability.

If there is "no availability" the first time you call, don't give up - keep trying (every few days, or every morning if you can!) - cancellations happen! Good luck!

When I was making our reservations, I checked for CL and it was never available, so we just made gv ressies. When we checked in, we were upgraded to CL for free!! Don't undeerstand it but I won't question it either: Also, since we have been home, I have tried to price another trip at the Poly with CL and it is never available. Strange!

 

[billnang]

Looks like my trip to Poly may be on hold for now!! There's a new hurricane!!

Go check out the theme park forum, i think it will make you feel better.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Looks like my trip to Poly may be on hold for now!! There's a new hurricane!!

The path of that one is headed towards Haiti, Jamaica and on into the Gulf of Mexico. Orlando should be perfectly fine.