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

[CruisingCamper]

Every day I read this thread, and someone mentions Tonga Toast!! It must be outstanding!!!

I can't wait to have it myself, it sounds so good!!!

 

[tin2003white]

Everybody!

First of all, thanks to all of you who posted suggestions and advice.

Second, we just got back from a week at Disney (five nights at the POR and two at the Poly). I booked garden view. We received an unbelievable upgrade to our room at the Polynesian.

I've been watching this thread for months. As I made our reservation, I debated quite a bit about whether I wanted to make any requests (building, room, etc). I reserved a basic garden view for two nights for my family of five (myself, DH, DS 15, DD 9, DD 6). I remember reading somewhere about room upgrades and how to get them. Most folks said they felt like the fewer requests a person made would best help any chance of an upgrade. Since I was thrilled about staying at the Poly, I made no requests. I'm not sure if this made any difference.

We checked in and the CM said we had been upgraded . The more he talked, the more I was in disbelief. We received a four-level upgrade - from garden to lagoon/water, from lagoon/water to Magic Kingdom view, from Magic Kingdom View to concierge level . We stayed at the Hawaii longhouse, second floor - room 2501 right outside the concierge lounge. We watched the Sunday night MK Fourth of July fireworks from our room with our concierge cookies/snacks/drinks in-hand, with the sliding glass door open so we could enjoy the music. The building is really close to the Volcano pool, too.

This wasn't the end of our magical experiences, though the others don't relate at all to the Poly.

Just wanted to share the excitement with you and say thanks again to those who offered advice. We'd never stayed at the Poly before. It's going to be very tough to go anywhere else or even stay somewhere besides concierge level.

Thanks again.

 

[kaffinito]

Everybody!

First of all, thanks to all of you who posted suggestions and advice.

Second, we just got back from a week at Disney (five nights at the POR and two at the Poly). I booked garden view. We received an unbelievable upgrade to our room at the Polynesian.

I've been watching this thread for months. As I made our reservation, I debated quite a bit about whether I wanted to make any requests (building, room, etc). I reserved a basic garden view for two nights for my family of five (myself, DH, DS 15, DD 9, DD 6). I remember reading somewhere about room upgrades and how to get them. Most folks said they felt like the fewer requests a person made would best help any chance of an upgrade. Since I was thrilled about staying at the Poly, I made no requests. I'm not sure if this made any difference.

We checked in and the CM said we had been upgraded . The more he talked, the more I was in disbelief. We received a four-level upgrade - from garden to lagoon/water, from lagoon/water to Magic Kingdom view, from Magic Kingdom View to concierge level . We stayed at the Hawaii longhouse, second floor - room 2501 right outside the concierge lounge. We watched the Sunday night MK Fourth of July fireworks from our room with our concierge cookies/snacks/drinks in-hand, with the sliding glass door open so we could enjoy the music. The building is really close to the Volcano pool, too.

This wasn't the end of our magical experiences, though the others don't relate at all to the Poly.

Just wanted to share the excitement with you and say thanks again to those who offered advice. We'd never stayed at the Poly before. It's going to be very tough to go anywhere else or even stay somewhere besides concierge level.

Thanks again.

Yeah you! Glad you and your family had a great trip!!

 

[jackdis]

Wow! Congrats to you! I'm sure it was amazing!
Happy 4th of July everyone!!

 

[janiebegood]

Hi! First post!

We have reservations for a theme-park view room at the Polynesian from Dec. 30, 2008 - Jan. 3, 2009. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

I made our meal reservations yesterday (called at 7 AM and got through with zero wait time!). We're doing the DDP, and I was able to get exactly the restaurants I wanted on the days I wanted, and within an hour of my preferred times! Considering how very, very busy it is at that time of year, I feel very fortunate!

I have a couple of questions that I hope y'all can help me with. We have a 7 PM reservation on New Year's Eve at 'Ohana. We made an 8:30 reservation for our 7-year-old to go to the Neverland Club for a couple of hours so my husband and I can have some grown-up time (it's our 20th wedding anniversary that day!). My questions are:

1) Does 'Ohana have some kid-friendly menu items?
2) Where is the Neverland Club located on the Poly property?
3) Have we allowed enough (or too much?) time for dinner to get her to the Neverland Club by 8:30?
4) Is the Neverland Club as fabulous as it sounds???

Because she's scheduled to go back the next day for a longer stretch of time (probably 4 -5 hours) while we parents have dinner at the Coral Reef restaurant at EPCOT, and I really want her to enjoy herself!

My other question is about room requests. Having done some reading, I'm pretty sure I'd like a first floor Tahiti room near the TTC. I know I can call one week in advance to make that request, but are there any other tips or tricks you guys can pass along? I would be most appreciative!

 

[snowmouse]

My kids have always enjoyed the offerings at 'Ohana. I believe if your kids are fussier, you can order a kid's meal from Kona (reg kid offerings). Your ressie at the Neverland Club may be tight as we do not always get seated immediately upon arrival for our ADR. On the other hand, one of you could run her over to the club before you have finished dinner, as the kids usually finish long before we do. We cruise a lot, and we often take turns dropping kids off between a course and enjoy the rest of our dinner without the constant, "isn't it time to go to my club?"

 

[BKMETV]

Hi! First post!

We have reservations for a theme-park view room at the Polynesian from Dec. 30, 2008 - Jan. 3, 2009. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

I made our meal reservations yesterday (called at 7 AM and got through with zero wait time!). We're doing the DDP, and I was able to get exactly the restaurants I wanted on the days I wanted, and within an hour of my preferred times! Considering how very, very busy it is at that time of year, I feel very fortunate!

I have a couple of questions that I hope y'all can help me with. We have a 7 PM reservation on New Year's Eve at 'Ohana. We made an 8:30 reservation for our 7-year-old to go to the Neverland Club for a couple of hours so my husband and I can have some grown-up time (it's our 20th wedding anniversary that day!). My questions are:

1) Does 'Ohana have some kid-friendly menu items?
2) Where is the Neverland Club located on the Poly property?
3) Have we allowed enough (or too much?) time for dinner to get her to the Neverland Club by 8:30?
4) Is the Neverland Club as fabulous as it sounds???

Because she's scheduled to go back the next day for a longer stretch of time (probably 4 -5 hours) while we parents have dinner at the Coral Reef restaurant at EPCOT, and I really want her to enjoy herself!

My other question is about room requests. Having done some reading, I'm pretty sure I'd like a first floor Tahiti room near the TTC. I know I can call one week in advance to make that request, but are there any other tips or tricks you guys can pass along? I would be most appreciative!

Welcome to the Poly Board.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Everybody!

First of all, thanks to all of you who posted suggestions and advice.

Second, we just got back from a week at Disney (five nights at the POR and two at the Poly). I booked garden view. We received an unbelievable upgrade to our room at the Polynesian.

I've been watching this thread for months. As I made our reservation, I debated quite a bit about whether I wanted to make any requests (building, room, etc). I reserved a basic garden view for two nights for my family of five (myself, DH, DS 15, DD 9, DD 6). I remember reading somewhere about room upgrades and how to get them. Most folks said they felt like the fewer requests a person made would best help any chance of an upgrade. Since I was thrilled about staying at the Poly, I made no requests. I'm not sure if this made any difference.

We checked in and the CM said we had been upgraded . The more he talked, the more I was in disbelief. We received a four-level upgrade - from garden to lagoon/water, from lagoon/water to Magic Kingdom view, from Magic Kingdom View to concierge level . We stayed at the Hawaii longhouse, second floor - room 2501 right outside the concierge lounge. We watched the Sunday night MK Fourth of July fireworks from our room with our concierge cookies/snacks/drinks in-hand, with the sliding glass door open so we could enjoy the music. The building is really close to the Volcano pool, too.

This wasn't the end of our magical experiences, though the others don't relate at all to the Poly.

Just wanted to share the excitement with you and say thanks again to those who offered advice. We'd never stayed at the Poly before. It's going to be very tough to go anywhere else or even stay somewhere besides concierge level.

Thanks again.

Congragulations on that amazing upgrade.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

1) Does 'Ohana have some kid-friendly menu items?
2) Where is the Neverland Club located on the Poly property?

Here is a link to the Ohana menu and on there you will see the kids menu. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=25

Here is a link to the Polynesian map and on there you will see where the Neverland Club is located. http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/polymap.htm

 

[janiebegood]

Thank you for the welcome and the info, snowmouse, BKMETV and CR Resort Fan! Looks like there will be plenty for the young'un to eat at 'Ohana -- she's not a fussy eater, but she is particularly fond of noodles, and I see that pad thai noodles are one of the accompaniments, so I think she'll be good!

I like the idea of taking her over to the NLC and then returning to linger if time gets tight. Good idea!

Thank you for the map! I'm going to make it into my desktop wallpaper!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thank you for the welcome and the info, snowmouse, BKMETV and CR Resort Fan! Looks like there will be plenty for the young'un to eat at 'Ohana -- she's not a fussy eater, but she is particularly fond of noodles, and I see that pad thai noodles are one of the accompaniments, so I think she'll be good!

I like the idea of taking her over to the NLC and then returning to linger if time gets tight. Good idea!

Thank you for the map! I'm going to make it into my desktop wallpaper!

You're welcome.

 

[SeaSpray]

Everybody!

First of all, thanks to all of you who posted suggestions and advice.

Second, we just got back from a week at Disney (five nights at the POR and two at the Poly). I booked garden view. We received an unbelievable upgrade to our room at the Polynesian.

I've been watching this thread for months. As I made our reservation, I debated quite a bit about whether I wanted to make any requests (building, room, etc). I reserved a basic garden view for two nights for my family of five (myself, DH, DS 15, DD 9, DD 6). I remember reading somewhere about room upgrades and how to get them. Most folks said they felt like the fewer requests a person made would best help any chance of an upgrade. Since I was thrilled about staying at the Poly, I made no requests. I'm not sure if this made any difference.

We checked in and the CM said we had been upgraded . The more he talked, the more I was in disbelief. We received a four-level upgrade - from garden to lagoon/water, from lagoon/water to Magic Kingdom view, from Magic Kingdom View to concierge level . We stayed at the Hawaii longhouse, second floor - room 2501 right outside the concierge lounge. We watched the Sunday night MK Fourth of July fireworks from our room with our concierge cookies/snacks/drinks in-hand, with the sliding glass door open so we could enjoy the music. The building is really close to the Volcano pool, too.

This wasn't the end of our magical experiences, though the others don't relate at all to the Poly.

Just wanted to share the excitement with you and say thanks again to those who offered advice. We'd never stayed at the Poly before. It's going to be very tough to go anywhere else or even stay somewhere besides concierge level.

Thanks again.

Welcome back, and CONGRATS on the upgrade!!!

Hi! First post!

We have reservations for a theme-park view room at the Polynesian from Dec. 30, 2008 - Jan. 3, 2009. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

I made our meal reservations yesterday (called at 7 AM and got through with zero wait time!). We're doing the DDP, and I was able to get exactly the restaurants I wanted on the days I wanted, and within an hour of my preferred times! Considering how very, very busy it is at that time of year, I feel very fortunate!

I have a couple of questions that I hope y'all can help me with. We have a 7 PM reservation on New Year's Eve at 'Ohana. We made an 8:30 reservation for our 7-year-old to go to the Neverland Club for a couple of hours so my husband and I can have some grown-up time (it's our 20th wedding anniversary that day!). My questions are:

1) Does 'Ohana have some kid-friendly menu items?
2) Where is the Neverland Club located on the Poly property?
3) Have we allowed enough (or too much?) time for dinner to get her to the Neverland Club by 8:30?4) Is the Neverland Club as fabulous as it sounds???

Because she's scheduled to go back the next day for a longer stretch of time (probably 4 -5 hours) while we parents have dinner at the Coral Reef restaurant at EPCOT, and I really want her to enjoy herself!

My other question is about room requests. Having done some reading, I'm pretty sure I'd like a first floor Tahiti room near the TTC. I know I can call one week in advance to make that request, but are there any other tips or tricks you guys can pass along? I would be most appreciative!

My kids have always enjoyed the offerings at 'Ohana. I believe if your kids are fussier, you can order a kid's meal from Kona (reg kid offerings). Your ressie at the Neverland Club may be tight as we do not always get seated immediately upon arrival for our ADR. On the other hand, one of you could run her over to the club before you have finished dinner, as the kids usually finish long before we do. We cruise a lot, and we often take turns dropping kids off between a course and enjoy the rest of our dinner without the constant, "isn't it time to go to my club?"

Welcome to the DIS BOARDS, Janie!! I think that snowmouse gave you a great idea; one of you walk your DD over to the Neverland Club and then return to finish dinner. You definitely don't want to rush and miss out on the dessert there.

Even on a regular day, there's often a wait to be seated at 'Ohana, and so much more so on a holiday evening. As soon as you're seated at your table let your server know that your DD has a reservation at the Neverland Club, so he'll be sure to bring her food out as soon as possible.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation!

P.S. I believe that New Year's Eve is one of THE busiest days of the year at Disney World (they often have to cut off allowing more people into the parks by late afternoon), so I think that leaving yourself plenty of time that day/evening, no matter what you do, is a good idea.

 

[eyenjeff]

Everybody!

First of all, thanks to all of you who posted suggestions and advice.

Second, we just got back from a week at Disney (five nights at the POR and two at the Poly). I booked garden view. We received an unbelievable upgrade to our room at the Polynesian.

I've been watching this thread for months. As I made our reservation, I debated quite a bit about whether I wanted to make any requests (building, room, etc). I reserved a basic garden view for two nights for my family of five (myself, DH, DS 15, DD 9, DD 6). I remember reading somewhere about room upgrades and how to get them. Most folks said they felt like the fewer requests a person made would best help any chance of an upgrade. Since I was thrilled about staying at the Poly, I made no requests. I'm not sure if this made any difference.

We checked in and the CM said we had been upgraded . The more he talked, the more I was in disbelief. We received a four-level upgrade - from garden to lagoon/water, from lagoon/water to Magic Kingdom view, from Magic Kingdom View to concierge level . We stayed at the Hawaii longhouse, second floor - room 2501 right outside the concierge lounge. We watched the Sunday night MK Fourth of July fireworks from our room with our concierge cookies/snacks/drinks in-hand, with the sliding glass door open so we could enjoy the music. The building is really close to the Volcano pool, too.

This wasn't the end of our magical experiences, though the others don't relate at all to the Poly.

Just wanted to share the excitement with you and say thanks again to those who offered advice. We'd never stayed at the Poly before. It's going to be very tough to go anywhere else or even stay somewhere besides concierge level.

Thanks again.

Wow! What a great story! You really had some Disney magic come your way! I can only hope that we get a little magic when we go in December.

Are you going to write a trip report and share the rest of your magic with us? I hope so!!!!!

Looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

[amsafko]

My family and I (dh, dd6, dd4, and ds,who turns 2 while we are there) are going to be staying at the Poly from August 23rd through the 31st. I am so ecstatic to be staying there - we've only been there once before and stayed at the ASMo. I detested getting the stroller on and off the busses so we agreed to upgrade to a monorail resort. Now that time is drawing near, can you all give me any things I should know about while staying at the Poly? We have an ADR for Ohana's one night but other than that, I don't know much about what else we'll do at the resort itself. Thanks!

 

[A_NY_Outlaw]

We will be staying at the Poly for the first time in October. We have a garden view room or so I think it's called. Does anyone know what that means? Is this a lousy type of room to have if you're expecting a view of anything? Are there better floors to have than others? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Tink rules]

It's all a matter of preference. I always try for the 3rd floor - that way you get a balcony - the older buildings don't have balconies on the 2nd floor... Some prefer the 1st floor because you get a patio and near the pool, you can go right out your door.

You can request a building - they can't guarantee it, but they are pretty good at trying to get it for you.

Here's the map...

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24176459&postcount=915

Go to the first page of this thread and get lots of info there...

Good luck!!!

You'll love it!!!

p.s.... Fiji is all garden view!!! and you get either the marina or the beach view... very nice... my fave!!!

 

[ConcKahuna]

We will be staying at the Poly for the first time in October. We have a garden view room or so I think it's called. Does anyone know what that means? Is this a lousy type of room to have if you're expecting a view of anything? Are there better floors to have than others? Any advice would be appreciated.

You really can't go wrong at the Poly! Even the "worst" rooms have plenty of good points, so I wouldn't be too worried. Some people don't like Rapa Nui on the parking lot side, but my family stayed there and LOVED it. The kids could watch the monorail go by, they were a very short walk to the TTC or the Poly bus stop, and they could pull the car up to the private entry when it was raining!

 

[janiebegood]

P.S. I believe that New Year's Eve is one of THE busiest days of the year at Disney World (they often have to cut off allowing more people into the parks by late afternoon), so I think that leaving yourself plenty of time that day/evening, no matter what you do, is a good idea.

That's good advice, SeaSpray -- we will definitely try to do that!

When we've been looking at the things we want to do in each park, we've been basing it off a "half-day" itinerary, though we're allowing whole days for each park. I figure that way, we should have some wiggle room!

 

[MUNUMom]

we have a garden view ressie for the end of sept. My girls would actually love to have one of the rooms that see the monorail, but I want to be close to the TTC. If we get one of the rooms that can see the monorail, how far is the walk over to the TTC from that longhouse? TIA for the info...

 

[dato63]

We are looking at the Poly for 2009. If we pay for a theme park view and request the Tahiti bldg - while I know they can not guarantee your request. . .is it a far walk to the main building or volcano pool? I can see where everything is on the map - but I'm just curious about how long it takes to get from one place to the other.

I like the location of the Tahiti to the beach/TTC.

Thanks!