ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: October 2013

[TaraPA]

Just back from another FABULOUS stay at Poly. The construction didn't bother us at all. As of yesterday afternoon there was no visible construction inside or outside of GCH. Lots of construction on the beach, and the bungalows have walls up. A crane was lifting the roof of each bungalow into place as we left. The monorail being down from 11:30-7 wasn't an issue for us, the bus, boat & TTC modes of transportation worked out just fine.

No issues with the Rapid Refill mug system. Kona & Ohana were great.

We requested Tokelau, facing quiet pool, and got Samoa facing the Volcano pool, which we found out we loved even better! The grounds were breathtaking as always. It will be so sad to see the changes inside the GCH, hoping they do some sort of water feature in there again.

 

[momamy]

Thanks for the update TaraPA!!

 

[Kristina4109]

Thanks so much for posting your recent experience. We'll be there early June, and it's good to get a feel for what to expect. After talking to my husband we decided we do NOT want to switch resorts!

 

[jenjen9ny]

Hi All,

So I have been perusing this thread trying to figure out if this refurbishment will impact my upcoming stay. I plan on visiting Disney in November for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (probably the 4th to the 12th of the month). Currently we are booked at French Quarter but are looking to switch to the Polynesian (or the Beach Club if the refurbishments on the pool or main lobby building will still be occurring). If anyone has any guess on how long these refurbishments will last I would definitely appreciate your help. I see online that the entire project is listed until December of 2014, but I am hoping the tale end will mostly be for the DVC resorts construction.

Thank you!
Jen

 

[polyfor4]

It was mentioned on one of the more recent podcasts that the rates for the Poly are pretty cheap now. We're planning on staying regardless but I'm wondering if this is a discount or travel agent rate? We're less than 3 months away!

 

[TaraPA]

It was mentioned on one of the more recent podcasts that the rates for the Poly are pretty cheap now. We're planning on staying regardless but I'm wondering if this is a discount or travel agent rate? We're less than 3 months away!

I haven't seen any changes in rates, or deeper discounts for Poly recently, but maybe I'm not looking in the right spot! We just got back from Poly & paid $349/nt standard with an AP discount, and I can't find anything nearly that cheap for a late May or June trip.

If anyone hears of deals for Poly during construction please post!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Hi All,

So I have been perusing this thread trying to figure out if this refurbishment will impact my upcoming stay. I plan on visiting Disney in November for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (probably the 4th to the 12th of the month). Currently we are booked at French Quarter but are looking to switch to the Polynesian (or the Beach Club if the refurbishments on the pool or main lobby building will still be occurring). If anyone has any guess on how long these refurbishments will last I would definitely appreciate your help. I see online that the entire project is listed until December of 2014, but I am hoping the tale end will mostly be for the DVC resorts construction.

Thank you!
Jen

Copied from a post on Tikiman's facebook page where he noted the dates given to staff:



Kids Club closed and reopens April 27
Bus lane/ guard shack starts work March 5 -May 8
Guest entrance March 5 -June 3
Porte-cochere walkways March 17 - Oct 22
Great Ceremonial House projects March 12 -Dec 15
Captain Cook's March 28 - July
Trader Jack's / Samoa Snacks May 19 -August 28
Volcano Pool Late July -Spring 2015.



So....it looks as if GCH projects (unspecified and subject to change for sure) and the Volcano pool closure in addition to the general DVC construction would be the possible issues affecting a stay in November.

 

[Kristina4109]

Captain Cook's is down until JULY? NOOOO! I am contemplating that long monorail ride to Adventureland to get my daily Dole Whip. I was hoping it would be back in June.

 

[polyfor4]

I haven't seen any changes in rates, or deeper discounts for Poly recently, but maybe I'm not looking in the right spot! We just got back from Poly & paid $349/nt standard with an AP discount, and I can't find anything nearly that cheap for a late May or June trip. If anyone hears of deals for Poly during construction please post!

Called today and the rates are 30% off thanks to the spring offer. We booked at the military rate so not as good of a deal. Maybe the standard discounts are all that are out there. But I agree- I would love to know if in the future anyone is getting different rates! Also only club level is available for May 31- June 7. Just thought that was interesting too.

 

[dellasgirl]

my daughter asked me to find out if the rooms in poly have bed rails or can you request them?? anyone know

 

[ninafeliz]

my daughter asked me to find out if the rooms in poly have bed rails or can you request them?? anyone know

You can request them from housekeeping.

 

[dellasgirl]

You can request them from housekeeping.

Thank you I will tell her
Nell

 

[thisismyusername]

Just back from a quickcation where we spent time at the Poly, and just wanted to echo Tara's thoughts that the construction, at present, wasn't a bother for us. We stayed CL in Hawaii (looked out over the quiet pool) and while we could see the construction of the bungalows over the water from the lounge, I was more interested in seeing the progress of the construction rather than being annoyed by it. (But that's just me.) Granted, I couldn't hear or see any construction from my room, so it was of minimal impact for us. As I mentioned elsewhere, too: Right now, there's so much construction going on in the Magic Kingdom too that seeing a crane and scrims at the resort really is par for the course.

Construction on the bungalows was moving swiftly with walls and roofs going up in the few days we were there. Here's what it looked like when we left on Saturday:

Anyway, at present, I wouldn't hesitate with keeping a reservation at the Poly.

 

[amandawoodhouse]

Hey there,
We've never stayed CL but we got such a great deal at the Poly for this summer I'm considering it for this trip. Just wondering about the approx cost difference?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Skywise]

Nice pics of the bungalows.

It's too bad they're going to require you to be a member of the DVC to use them though. I would certainly look at dropping the coin occasionally to stay there but there's no way I can justify sinking 10-20 grand into vacation points with a 1 grand yearly "maintenance fee" when I'm only going 1-2 times a year.

 

[thisismyusername]

Nice pics of the bungalows.

It's too bad they're going to require you to be a member of the DVC to use them though. I would certainly look at dropping the coin occasionally to stay there but there's no way I can justify sinking 10-20 grand into vacation points with a 1 grand yearly "maintenance fee" when I'm only going 1-2 times a year.

Inventory of all DVC resorts is reservable through the regular cash reservation system (under deluxe villas). Or, you can rent points, which is usually the cheaper option.

 

[jenjen9ny]

Thank you so much for the update! It is much appreciated!

Jen

 

[urbanhooligan]

Will be there this weekend, for a couple of days... Just to clarify, no Dole Whips there? Disappointing but luckily will be at Epcot on Friday and can get one with a little something extra!

 

[ememtingle]

I absolutely love the Poly! This is so much great info, thank you so much for sharing.

 

[TaraPA]

Will be there this weekend, for a couple of days... Just to clarify, no Dole Whips there? Disappointing but luckily will be at Epcot on Friday and can get one with a little something extra!

Dole Whips are still there! Captain Cook's isn't moving to the temporary location until 3/28, so all is well until then. Enjoy!