Question about Visiting Polynesian

[jm0925]

Hello Fellow Disney Lovers:

I have a question. This summer we decided to do a Seaworld Vacation for my son's 9th birthday, but being the Disney lover that I am I just have to get my Disney fix somehow. I wanted to ride the monorail to see the resorts around MK and we also made dinner reservations to eat at Kona in the Poly resort.

Now thinking about it, how would we get into Polynesian if we are not guests? I know the resorts are gated, and if I remember correctly, to get to Poly you have to go through the area where you pay for parking for the Magic Kingdom also. That also happens to be the area to get on the monorail.

Would we have to pay the MK parking to get to Polynesian or can we go straight to Poly another way and park there? Is there another way to get on the monorail and to visit Poly??

I'm not familiar with the MK resorts at all so any input/tips would be helpful so I know where to go and what to expect.

Thanks!

 

[Rahjeir]

The Polynesian has a different parking lot just for the Polynesian. You can take the back roads to end up behind the MK toll gate or just stay to the very right of the MK gate and say your going to the Polynesian. You have a 3 hour window officially to park in the Polynesian if you are eating there. If you want to leave your car there longer use the valet parking.

 

[figment_jii]

You can also park at the TTC (pay for parking, but it's slightly less than valet) and then take the monorail to the Poly or any of the resorts on the loop. That way you can do whatever you want and you won't feel bad about parking at the Poly and then heading out elsewhere. After dinner, you can either take the monorail back to the TTC or walk.

 

[grimley1968]

You can park at the Poly lot for free if all you are doing is eating and looking around. I'd make an ADR at Kona, though, just to be on the safe side. When you pull up to the MK parking gates, just tell them you're going to the Poly for dinner. They should wave you through. You'll need to veer to the right immediately after the gate, so I'd try to stay in the rightmost car lane (not the bus lane, though) at the MK gate.

When you get to the Poly gate, the guards should have your name on a list of ADR holders for the evening. Even if not, they should still allow you to park there for up to 3 hours. They may or may not give you a 3-hour parking pass. We've never gotten one for visiting, though; only for staying there.

As long as you can be out of there within 3 hours, you could ride the monorail around if you like. As long as you don't try to park there for free and then enter MK you'll be okay. For a shorter ride, you could also walk next door to the TTC and catch a direct monorail to MK or EPCOT.

But as others have said, you can valet park at the Poly (a fee plus tip), or park at the TTC (MK's lot for a fee) and walk to the Poly, and you can hang out as long as you want and/or even go into MK.

 

[jm0925]

Thanks so much for the advice. I've tried using GPS to get around Disney property and it got me lost. A cast member pointed out to me later that GPS doesn't work at Disney cause its private property....Well good to know for next time!

So I think I will just pay for MK parking and leave my car there. I don't want to worry about the car and being out past the 3 hours. Its a good thing I asked because I wouldn't have guessed that the MK parking would have been cheaper than valet at the resort. I should be surprised by that but since its Disney...I'm really not.

Thanks again!

 

[dawgfan]

My GPS worked at Disney with no trouble. GPS will work on private property as long as the roads are recognized and main roads at Disney are recognized. May have been a glitch, who knows. Phone GPS does not work as good as a GPS unit.

 

[figment_jii]

My GPS worked at Disney with no trouble. GPS will work on private property as long as the roads are recognized and main roads at Disney are recognized. May have been a glitch, who knows. Phone GPS does not work as good as a GPS unit.

One issue that has been mentioned in the past is that the GPS sometimes creates a route that makes use roads that Disney does not allow the public to drive on. Depending on the settings it also may try to create a route that are actually harder to drive (e.g., left turns across a busy street with no light). I tried using a GPS once, but found that it was easier to just follow the road signs. Disney's routes may not always be the most direct, but they are usually the easiest. Also, the GPS and road signs didn't always match, so it was better to pick one and stick to it.