I'm not really good at writing detailed reviews, so I've decided to just do a list of points, likes, dislikes, discoveries, etc. that I experienced throughout our trip. These points will be bulleted by a + or - which indicate a positive or a negative. I've frequented these boards for quite some time in preparation for this trip. I've read and seen a lot that has inspired me to write this. Alright, lets get started.
+ Lets get this out of the way from the get go, the POLY is simply AMAZING and deserves ALL of the LOVE that it gets. It was an experience for my family that I can't put into words. The smells, exotic plants, views, MK sounds and sights, food, friendly staff, large rooms, monorail convenience, etc. Pictures don't do this resort justice. DO NOT base your decision to stay here on pictures.
+ We stayed in Tokelau Room 1916 on the beach end of the longhouse facing Tahiti. Tokelau definitely has the best Garden/Standard Views on disney property in my opinion. We had a view of the lagoon and CR from our room, and once we stepped out onto our patio, there was the Castle and GF without the MK View price! Loved It.
+ Tonga Toast and Lapu Lapu are a MUST!
+ Alright I'm going to say this is a positive for those planning to stay here, but a negative to comments I've read. Regardless of what people tell you, the walk from Tahiti to the GCH is NOT 5 mins unless you are walking slowly. Please don't get offended, but you have to remember that people come in all different sizes, ages, and physical abilities. Some walk slower than others. It took my family 5 mins to walk from the TTC to the GCH, give or take a few seconds. We stayed in Tokelau and it took us about 2 1/2 mins to get to the GCH. Tahiti is right next to Tokelau.
+ The Monorail is by far the BEST form of transportation on Disney property. It's NOT overrated as some believe, and the boats from WL, Poly, and the CR are not quicker. They can be more relaxing when it's cooler, but NOT quicker. The monorail is of unbelievable value if you're dealing with small children and strollers, my 2 year old LOVED it. We rode up front as co-pilots for 2 hours one day when it was slow and my 2 year old still didn't want to get off. By far his favorite.
- Unfortunately we had bad bus experiences. One time we waited for a bus from HS to Epcot for 30 mins only to be moved to another bus because the driver made a mistake. We also waited about 20 mins for a bus from the Poly to HS.
+ My dream was always to stay at the CR with a MK View. We booked the Poly because the CR was unavailable for our dates. I was at first skeptical because of the photos I'd seen, WL and the CR are VERY photo friendly resorts. After spending some time at the CR, I'm so glad I went with the Poly. The CR is too "business like" for our taste. And when we ate at the Calif. Grill, while the MK View is nice, my family actually preferred the MK View from the Poly beach. They loved looking across the water rather than over a parking lot. Shocked me.
- We didn't care for the GF at all.
+ After spending some time at the WL, we would only want to stay there at Christmas time. We can see how it would be a perfect theme for christmas. We loved Whispering Canyon too! We wouldn't prefer it any other time though.
*** This next statement is a curveball and is going to shock many of you. Trust me, it was a shock to my family as well. Our favorite WDW Resort was actually the ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
! I know, I know, I just gave the Poly all this love, and all of it is deserved and true. But on our next to last day when we walked into the AKL Lobby on our way to Bomas, our breath was completely taken away. The lobby is breathtaking. The theming with everything from the firepit to the Savannah Views was just perfect. The only things we give the Poly the edge on are the lagoon for water sports, transportation, and restaurants. Some say the bigger rooms, but when we viewed the room with bunkbeds, the bunkbeds negated the room size difference a little. We just loved the theming, decor, and atmosphere of the AKL, and not to mention that it shakes hands with our favorite disney park, the AK. Don't get me wrong, we're not saying the AKL is hands down the best, and we still prefer the Poly with small children, but my family will definitely be seeing a ton of the AKL when my 2 year old is a little older.
In summary, our trip was almost perfect with the exception of the bad bus experiences. No sick children, suprising rashes, bed bugs, swine flu, filthy rooms, rude cms, and every other horrible thing people worry about before traveling to WDW. Again I stress, don't allow pictures on these boards and other disney sites to influence your decision of where to stay. We were in love with the WL and CR based on the pictures we had seen, but actually found that the Poly and AKL were more beautiful resorts to us.
WDW is just unbelievable in every way. I'm already planning a return trip with my best friend (No wife and kids) sometime in 2010. I got a funny feeling we'll be staying at the AKL
+ Lets get this out of the way from the get go, the POLY is simply AMAZING and deserves ALL of the LOVE that it gets. It was an experience for my family that I can't put into words. The smells, exotic plants, views, MK sounds and sights, food, friendly staff, large rooms, monorail convenience, etc. Pictures don't do this resort justice. DO NOT base your decision to stay here on pictures.
+ We stayed in Tokelau Room 1916 on the beach end of the longhouse facing Tahiti. Tokelau definitely has the best Garden/Standard Views on disney property in my opinion. We had a view of the lagoon and CR from our room, and once we stepped out onto our patio, there was the Castle and GF without the MK View price! Loved It.
+ Tonga Toast and Lapu Lapu are a MUST!
+ Alright I'm going to say this is a positive for those planning to stay here, but a negative to comments I've read. Regardless of what people tell you, the walk from Tahiti to the GCH is NOT 5 mins unless you are walking slowly. Please don't get offended, but you have to remember that people come in all different sizes, ages, and physical abilities. Some walk slower than others. It took my family 5 mins to walk from the TTC to the GCH, give or take a few seconds. We stayed in Tokelau and it took us about 2 1/2 mins to get to the GCH. Tahiti is right next to Tokelau.
+ The Monorail is by far the BEST form of transportation on Disney property. It's NOT overrated as some believe, and the boats from WL, Poly, and the CR are not quicker. They can be more relaxing when it's cooler, but NOT quicker. The monorail is of unbelievable value if you're dealing with small children and strollers, my 2 year old LOVED it. We rode up front as co-pilots for 2 hours one day when it was slow and my 2 year old still didn't want to get off. By far his favorite.
- Unfortunately we had bad bus experiences. One time we waited for a bus from HS to Epcot for 30 mins only to be moved to another bus because the driver made a mistake. We also waited about 20 mins for a bus from the Poly to HS.
+ My dream was always to stay at the CR with a MK View. We booked the Poly because the CR was unavailable for our dates. I was at first skeptical because of the photos I'd seen, WL and the CR are VERY photo friendly resorts. After spending some time at the CR, I'm so glad I went with the Poly. The CR is too "business like" for our taste. And when we ate at the Calif. Grill, while the MK View is nice, my family actually preferred the MK View from the Poly beach. They loved looking across the water rather than over a parking lot. Shocked me.
- We didn't care for the GF at all.
+ After spending some time at the WL, we would only want to stay there at Christmas time. We can see how it would be a perfect theme for christmas. We loved Whispering Canyon too! We wouldn't prefer it any other time though.
*** This next statement is a curveball and is going to shock many of you. Trust me, it was a shock to my family as well. Our favorite WDW Resort was actually the ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
! I know, I know, I just gave the Poly all this love, and all of it is deserved and true. But on our next to last day when we walked into the AKL Lobby on our way to Bomas, our breath was completely taken away. The lobby is breathtaking. The theming with everything from the firepit to the Savannah Views was just perfect. The only things we give the Poly the edge on are the lagoon for water sports, transportation, and restaurants. Some say the bigger rooms, but when we viewed the room with bunkbeds, the bunkbeds negated the room size difference a little. We just loved the theming, decor, and atmosphere of the AKL, and not to mention that it shakes hands with our favorite disney park, the AK. Don't get me wrong, we're not saying the AKL is hands down the best, and we still prefer the Poly with small children, but my family will definitely be seeing a ton of the AKL when my 2 year old is a little older.In summary, our trip was almost perfect with the exception of the bad bus experiences. No sick children, suprising rashes, bed bugs, swine flu, filthy rooms, rude cms, and every other horrible thing people worry about before traveling to WDW. Again I stress, don't allow pictures on these boards and other disney sites to influence your decision of where to stay. We were in love with the WL and CR based on the pictures we had seen, but actually found that the Poly and AKL were more beautiful resorts to us.
WDW is just unbelievable in every way. I'm already planning a return trip with my best friend (No wife and kids) sometime in 2010. I got a funny feeling we'll be staying at the AKL
