Will I like Poly?

[jenny-d]

We always stay at WL, but will be 5 people for next trip so need to switch to Poly, CR, or BC. I've been considering Poly and have visited grounds several times for dinner--LOVE the theming! The thing I'm concerned about is that people write about the rooms being dark and 70's-ish and in need of rehab. One of the few complaints I have about WL is the rooms for the same reason--dark-ish, old-ish looking. HATE the old yucky bedspreads (they come off the minute I enter the room!) BUT I love the WL for so many other reasons that outweigh the bad so we always kept going back. I'm just afraid that I could be disappointed with the Poly rooms--especially at that price!! Maybe I should be looking at CR but I'm afraid their theming is too boring. How about BC? That would be going out of my comfort zone of staying at a MK resort!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Take a look through pictures of the rooms to see if they give you that same feel as WL. The rooms at Poly I believe are a lot bigger than the ones at WL but from everything I've read, they're both just as dark with kind of a similar "feel".

What is it that you love about WL? That'll help us to tell you if Poly has that same type of "stuff" or if it'll be very much not to your liking.

 

[ShepFam]

Obviously it's all about personal preferences but IMO...We don't find the rooms or the themeing "70's ish" but because of the decor (dark woods for the furniture, deep colors in the carpeting) the rooms do have a darker feel to them. Personally I find it very relaxing after coming in from the heat of the florida sun (we always go in the Summer) so I think it's a very relaxing and comfortable feel. We have stayed at both the WL and Poly and I think the rooms at the Poly are nicer. Personally (and we loved the WL a lot) I think the rooms there are more "drab" than dark but it really just comes down to what you personally enjoy. Again, for us the rooms are an "oasis" but you'll find plenty of people who disagree! We are huge Poly lovers and going back in August so good luck with your choice but I say go with the Poly!

 

[housetomouse]

I really think you won't know unless you try it. Hope you like it!

 

[kapoof]

i too like the wl but HATE the rooms ie the bedspreads. the bc is really done very nice alot more airy and very pretty feeling. we loved our rooms at the poly however..while not light and airy feeling i enjoyed the tiki atmosphere alot more than the wl..look up some pics on-line, but i think you will really enjoy the poly

 

[bluejasmine]

Poly is my dream resort and I absolutely adore it.. well I do dream of staying at GF one day only b/c DH thinks he wont fit in..LOL

Anyway Im not crazy about the bedspreads at the Poly but lets face it most hotel bedspreads are UGLY..

The rooms are not dark at all, they have all been refurbished, the furniture is light colored and the two closets have lights in them and look pretty with the doors closed.

The bathroom was spacious, lots of counter room and under the counter is some cubbies

We always kept our curtains open unless we were changing or going to sleep to get that tropical feeling.

The grounds are breath taking and I just love the view of the MK, GF and CR from the CL or from the beach..

CR is my DS17 dream resort but I also worry it will be boring to me.

 

[Missoutandabout]

Poly is my dream resort and I absolutely adore it.. well I do dream of staying at GF one day only b/c DH thinks he wont fit in..LOL

Anyway Im not crazy about the bedspreads at the Poly but lets face it most hotel bedspreads are UGLY..

The rooms are not dark at all, they have all been refurbished, the furniture is light colored and the two closets have lights in them and look pretty with the doors closed.

The bathroom was spacious, lots of counter room and under the counter is some cubbies

We always kept our curtains open unless we were changing or going to sleep to get that tropical feeling.

The grounds are breath taking and I just love the view of the MK, GF and CR from the CL or from the beach..

All of this.

I was worried before we stayed at the Poly last year (for the first time). I was pleasantly surprised, especially after reading all the bad reviews beforehand. Lovely grounds. The restaurants are good. The shops are nice. Watching fireworks from the beach is fantastic. And, the ultimate benefit, at least to us: it was so amazingly convenient to be able to walk to the TTC.

 

[3SmilingFaces]

Honestly, you may find so many things you love about the Poly that the decor of the room may be worth living with! The rooms are very spacious, the grounds are beautiful, watching Wishes from the beach with a drink in hand is very relaxing, and of course the Monorail and TTC being right there is the best part of all!

 

[mom2mek]

Taken from tikiman's site, but I think it sums it up for me as far as why/how the Polynesian was designed the way it is:

"I think the thing that confuses me the most is how some call the Polynesian Resort dark, 70’s, or (my favorite) "Brady Bunch". I should not blame anyone for these opinions because it is just from a lack of exposure to the authentic Polynesian style. The Polynesian was built in the 70’s and from the 40’s to the early 70’s there was a big Tiki pop culture, but if you look at the original photos of the Polynesian in the 70’s you will see that when they updated in the early 90’s they got rid of the 70’s stuff and replaced it with same materials and colors that you would find in old Polynesia.

They even ordered fabric and building materials from Hawaii for the Polynesian. As far as the Polynesian being too dark, well that is a matter of opinion and I cannot imagine the Polynesian being bright with pastel colors like the Grand Floridian. I realize some hotels in Hawaii do look more upscale and are decorated like the GF, but in Hawaii many of the long lasting hotels had a huge influence from the British since they found the islands. Some resorts on the islands are true to the culture and do have the bamboo furniture and the Hawaiian prints and I have seen many that look much like the Polynesian.

But the other thing here is that the Polynesian is not just Hawaii. It is many islands and if you go to many of the islands that the longhouses are named after you will see those dark Earth tones and natural materials used. The Disney designers spent time in places like Samoa,Tahiti,and Hawaii to come up with the designs. The design for the Great Ceremonial House (GCH) was inspired by the royal assembly lodges in Tahiti. The longhouses were designed after authentic Hawaiian longhouses. My belief is they were going for more of an immersion into the theme (sort of like walking into Adventure Land) and not trying to be the Royal Hawaiian (on Oahu)."​

I totally agree with tikiman!! Especially the last section! It is a complete immersion into a theme. The whole design scheme would seem very strange if it were bright and airy. The darker colors of the GCH, the tiki torch-lit pathways, the lush foliage, etc, etc are all perfectly matched with the room decor.

Sara

 

[sonjaandsue]

It is really such a matter of taste. To me, the dark woods are more trendy right now than the pastels of the GF or BC which seem very 80s. But they all do a great job of expressing their particular themes. I'm not sure which way this will influence you but my 5 yr old loved the Poly theme and still tells people that his favorite part of our trip was the Tiki statues! And I have to say that I was very tickled by the torches for some reason...

 

[mickeynut1]

Before our first stay at the Poly, I read alot of not-so-good reviews and almost changed our ressie to a different resort. Then I decided that we needed to try it for ourselves before forming an opinion. I am so glad I didn't change because if I did, we would have missed out on one of the best Disney trips we've ever had....and they've all been great . The Poly is now our favorite resort . We think it's a beautiful resort with many pros.....the beach is great for watching the fireworks with a short walk back to your room, the volcano pool is fun with a fabulous view of the castle while swimming, it is relaxing walking around the resort at night under the lit tiki torches, and Captain Cooks, IMO, is great for quick CS meals . I think you should give it a try because you won't really know if you like it until you experience it for yourself . Everyone's likes and dislikes are different, but the Poly was everything we thought it would be and then some and we can't wait to stay there again in August .

 

[meredith1]

I hate to sound ugly but, we had to reschedule from Christmas to Thanksgiving this year. This is our first time with our 3 yr old and want it to be very special. I originally had the 40% room discount and booked the Contemporary. When I switched the date all they had to offer was the Poly. After researching I nearly cancelled the trip...I am NOT spending any amount money to stay in a room like what I saw pictures of.

Finally we decided to spend an extra thousand dollars to get back to the Contemporary.

I can't imagine staying in a hotel built in the year I was born with no upgrades.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I have stayed at both the Contemporary and Polynesian and personally I would go with the Contemporary. My reasons is I liked the design of their rooms a lot more and because they are a lot brighter. Plus the Contemporary is the only resort that has a walkway to and from the Magic Kingdom and all their Tower rooms come with a balcony, something which you need to request at the Polynesian for their 3rd floor rooms.

 

[Sue M]

http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2011/02/polynesian_resort_part_one.html Some interesting history of the Poly
http://allears.net/acc/faq_poly.htm Some more facts and pics of Poly.

Actually all the rooms were renovated in 2006. We loved our room in Tokelau. I felt it wasn't dated, it was renovated in 2006, so pretty current. Never felt the room was dark. But we love the rooms at WL too Guess it's a matter of personal taste. WL was renovated in 2007.

We loved our stay at The Poly. Rooms are large & comfy, 2 great restaurants, good transportation with monorail or boat to MK, and short walk to TTC for Epcot monorail. Loved watching wishes on the beach.

 

[Sue M]

I hate to sound ugly but, we had to reschedule from Christmas to Thanksgiving this year. This is our first time with our 3 yr old and want it to be very special. I originally had the 40% room discount and booked the Contemporary. When I switched the date all they had to offer was the Poly. After researching I nearly cancelled the trip...I am NOT spending any amount money to stay in a room like what I saw pictures of.

Finally we decided to spend an extra thousand dollars to get back to the Contemporary.

I can't imagine staying in a hotel built in the year I was born with no upgrades.

Actually it was upgraded in 2006. Maybe you weren't looking at current pics.

 

[momH2the4th]

We've stayed at the Poly, CR and WL. My family prefers the Poly. The kids felt like the CR was much like staying at a hotel and not a Disney resort. The rooms at the Poly give you more space than the CR or WL. I don't feel the rooms are outdated or dark and have never had a problem with them. We are sad that we can't stay there anymore unless we have family and friends go with us and use their 5th spot for our 6th one. All of the deluxe resorts are great and you'll find one that you like better over the others. We just happen to be spoiled staying in the MK ones! Enjoy your trip!

 

[gottaluvPluto]

My two favorite resorts are the Poly and YC. I love the Poly for its room, the grounds, food, and the lighting ceremony. I think the grounds at the Poly are so relaxing and they just make you feel like you are in Hawaii. I do love the pool, but I think they could have done a better job with it. The main pool should be a little bit bigger and they need to add a hot tub. Anyway, I would go with the Poly and enjoy all it offers. You should do Kona for breakfast, Lunch and dinner. The breakfast is the best!