ALOHA! The Poly FAQ: Fall 2010 Edition

[LowesChevy]

Here are some photos from our stay at the beginning of October

 

[annej]

Your pictures make me want to be there so bad. Novemeber 14 can't come soon enough!

 

[DISNEY1975]

I am surprised to hear about trouble finding parking! On our previous 2 trips, the lots were Wide open!! We pretty much picked the same spot (shaded) both trips, and even when we were gone for the day and came back - we could get the spot. This lot was to the right after you pull in (so if you're at the GCH looking toward the parking lot, it would be over to the left). You got lucky. It was quite the opposite for us the first few days. Its did get better, as I mentioned above.

I'm curious about a couple other things you mentioned - you said no lines for the monorail at the Contemporary. Did you experience lines for the monorail at the Poly? No. It was slightly busier, but never had to wait for a second monorail to come. We always got on the first one to arrive.

I saw where you mentioned 60 min. lines at the MK for it to come back - that's LONG!! I honestly don't think we've ever waited more than 10 mins. for the monorail at MK, but we're generally not there right AT closing, and that could be a time of year thing. The MK was only opened beyond 7:00pm about 3 times during our 11 night stay due to MNSSHP. I think every night it was open later to the public, everyone went. It was 100% a 60+ minute wait for the resort monorail at least 2 of these nights (the 2 nights I went!) We opted for the boat 3rd time around and it was worse. I dont understand why WL and whoever was on the left of Poly/GF got huge ships and we got little tiny tugboats.

Also, you mentioned that the Contemporary has better connections to Epcot? How do you mean? At the Poly, we walk to the TTC (5 minutes) and hop the Epcot monorail.

The TTC is the first stop for the monorail coming out of the Contemp. It is the last coming out of the Poly, which is another 15 or so minutes of travel time. We did end up walking on our Epcot nights, which were many because of our ADRs. Im just saying if I was going to walk to the TTC, you can stay anywhere and drive to the lot, park and walk. No advantage of being at the Poly as to being at, say, WL/AKL for that.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I dont understand why WL and whoever was on the left of Poly/GF got huge ships and we got little tiny tugboats.

Poly/GF have the monorail which is what most guests at Poly and GF use so for the most part, bigger boats aren't needed. WL/FW only have the boat and busses so lots more people use the boats meaning they need bigger boats. Those boats do fill up while except after fireworks, the Poly/GF boat usually doesn't.

The TTC is the first stop for the monorail coming out of the Contemp. It is the last coming out of the Poly, which is another 15 or so minutes of travel time. We did end up walking on our Epcot nights, which were many because of our ADRs. Im just saying if I was going to walk to the TTC, you can stay anywhere and drive to the lot, park and walk. No advantage of being at the Poly as to being at, say, WL/AKL for that.

Not having to rent a car and being able to take that short walk over to TTC really is a wonderful thing IMO. I love being able to hop on the monorail or boat to get to MK or walk to TTC to hop on the monorail to get to Epcot. The walk to TTC IMO is no different than walking to a parking lot to get my car. Driving to TTC then still having to hop on the monorail is so much more trouble IMO. I realize some people enjoy driving on vacation but not everybody does. I LOVE the transportation options at Poly.

With your experiences, I can definitely see why you'd be frustrated.

 

[DemoBri1]

The conversation started with someone at the concierge desk. After spending literally 30 minutes looking for a parking spot, for the 5th time, I went to the desk just to simply ask if there was a specific location for resort guests to park that maybe, possibly, I was not aware of. I was told, basically, no. She went on to say that people who eat at the restaurants were also "guests". I told her I understood, but also noticed first thing in the morning, the lot is empty, meaning, it gets filled with people who are not staying on property. I told her I saw a couple of people park and hop on the monorail and also overheard a conversation at the pool where a family needed to head back to their resort to get ready for dinner. She said there was nothing they could do if a guest states at the gate they are there to dine.

I tend to agree with this poster. Somehow I think Disney needs to try and do a better job with this. Being a frequent guest at BCV, I know how things are at SAB with people trying to get in that don't stay at the resort to swim. You are supposed to have wristbands on in order to get into user SAB, but I can't tell you the amount of people I've seen without them. Regarding the parking situation I understand that there are people who need to park at the resort for ADRs. What the guard shack should have is a listing of all ADRs available for their resort restaurants for the day, and if you are not on the list, or staying at the resort, you shouldn't be able to park there. I'm betting there's more than a few who try to dodge the parking lot fees at TTC by parking at one of the monorail resorts and then heading over MK.

I don't know if there is a viable solution, but it definitely can be an issue at some of the busier resorts.

 

[Chelley00]

We also had a horrible time finding a parking spot the first Saturday we were there (Oct 16). coming back from Animal Kingdom at 5pm. I went through all the lanes, and then had to drive all the way out of the lot, around and back through the gate again. The guard noticed me going back through again, stopped me and asked if there was a problem. I explained there were no spots and he offered free valet parking pass for one night if I went back through and still could not find a spot. I was lucky enough that trip around to score one very close to the GCH entrance, but it was very frustrating to have two hot, sweaty and hungry kids and having to drive and drive to find a place to park.

After that I only drove the van to parks twice more (DHS), and we never had a problem finding parking.

 

[norybell]

Hello all, I just stayed at the Poly for the first time last week (Thursday 10/21 and Friday 10/22, two nights out of a quick 4-night solo trip), and considering how helpful this thread was when I was planning my trip, I figured I should post my review!

I decided to stay at the Poly because I'd already stayed at the CR and the GF, and I wanted to complete my mission of staying at all the monorail resorts (my current mission: to stay at all of the Deluxes and the Mods...I'm almost halfway there!). But considering I love the GF in general and the walking path from the CR, I was a bit nervous at how the Poly would compare.

I left CSR in the early afternoon and took a taxi to the Poly. Compared to CSR, the Poly lobby was NOT remotely relaxing: It was loud and bustling (this isn't really a complaint, as I was expecting it to be the case). As I was checking in, I overheard a CM tell another guest that the resort was sold out for the weekend.

Online check-in was a breeze. A wonderful CM helped me (I think his name was Duane?). He told me my room was ready in Aotearoa on the second floor, and at first my heart sank -- balcony/patio and quiet room had been my only requests, and to me, having a balcony or patio is what really makes paying for a Deluxe worth it. I asked him if there was anything we could do to get me a balcony or a patio, that being a New Yorker with no outdoor space, that's what really makes a vacation for me. He seemed so tickled that I was traveling alone (he was an older gentleman), he said he totally understood. He got on the phone and really went to bat for me. He seemed to have forgotten that I said balcony or patio, and kept insisting to the lady on the phone that I needed a balcony. He said if I was willing to wait and take a downgrade (I'd booked a lagoon view), I could get a balcony room later that day. Then he noticed that he'd misspoken, and my current room was on the first floor, after all! So I told him a patio was wonderful, and thanked him for his help.

So imagine my joy when I walked into my room and realized I'd gotten...MY FIRST UPGRADE! This was my view:

I fell in love with this tree:

The room itself was very nice, huge, and perfectly clean (even the mattresses -- yes, I did the obligatory bedbug check). I didn't really notice much wear and tear...in general the room looked in much better shape than my room at the Boardwalk in May, but not in as good of shape as the Yacht Club last October, which seems to make sense based on their refurbishment schedules. The only real problem in the room involved the track of the sliding door -- opening the door was a bit of a pain until I figured out the trick to it (a lot of downward pressure). The room was ridiculously dark, but that's pretty much what I expect from any hotel room anywhere. (Why do hotel rooms never have overhead lights?) Mousekeeping was good for the one day I needed it, and actually didn't take the $5 tip I left on my pillow. All I kept in my fridge was a bottle of water and a bottle of wine (ah, the joys of solo traveling!), and it worked fine for that, even with the cabinet door closed.

The first evening, I was in the room when the Luau ended, and had to watch people file right past my door for at least a half hour. It didn't really bother me, but it might have in other circumstances. Other than that, my room and patio were nice and quiet; there were the occasional passers-by, but not too often. Since I was up late both nights for MNSSHP, I got to appreciate my patio a lot late at night, when it was super-quiet and wonderfully peaceful out there.

The volcano pool was always busy, and the quiet pool was always busy-ish (and not particularly quiet). I met some people on the ferry who were staying at the Poly but going to the GF pool, because the Poly pool was just too crowded. They did play pop music poolside in the afternoons, but it wasn't any louder than I would expect pool-party music to be: Not relaxing by any means, but not headache-inducing, either. I wouldn't have liked to have a pool view room, though.

The Hawaii beach was also always busy (I was shocked by how many people were letting their kids play in the lagoon water, despite the No Swimming signs), but the beach in front of Tahiti was always deserted, so I spent a decent amount of time on a hammock there, even though it was a bit of a hike from my room. The lobby was always moderately busy, but I could've walked into Kona at pretty much any time I passed through. I never did end up eating there -- I had a lunch ressie for my last day that I ended up canceling -- and I was never in the main building around primary mealtimes, so I can't comment on the busy-ness of Ohana's or Capt. Cooks.

I did try Tonga Toast for the first time via room service one morning. I didn't think I'd like it, thought it would probably be too sweet for me, but I wanted the experience. Oh my, so delicious! Not too sweet at all, just perfect! I told myself I'd eat only half, but made it through 3/4 before forcing myself to stop. And I did kinda pay for it the rest of the morning. But it was worth it!

Every CM I encountered was very nice and helpful, lots of "Alohas" all around.

I loved the convenience of the TTC, and even though it was as far as possible from my room, I still used it a lot (I enjoy walking). I took the bus to DHS from there, and it was great to skip any additional stops. And I loved having the ferry, express monorail, and resort monorail as options for getting back from the MK.

Between my reliance on the TTC and the fact that my favorite beach was the Tahiti beach, if I stayed at the Poly again, I would definitely request a room in Tahiti...it just felt a lot more deserted over there in general, which is something I like. But for a room that's still quiet but also more convenient to the lobby & restaurants, Aotearoa was really perfect.

I began my stay thinking the Poly wouldn't be relaxing enough for me, but it really was...it was just a matter of avoiding the busier areas. I would definitely stay again!

And in case you're curious, my current resort rankings are: (1) Grand Floridian; (2) Yacht Club; (3) Poly; (4 & 5) a tie between Contemporary and Boardwalk; (6) Coronado Springs; (7) Port Orleans Riverside. Of course, it's a tough call, because I kind of love them all!

I'll leave you with this Halloween-appropriate Poly pic:

 

[sandym718]

Wow, I'm starting to worry a little about the parking! We drive to Disney so it's quite the necessity!

The TTC is the first stop for the monorail coming out of the Contemp. It is the last coming out of the Poly, which is another 15 or so minutes of travel time. We did end up walking on our Epcot nights, which were many because of our ADRs. Im just saying if I was going to walk to the TTC, you can stay anywhere and drive to the lot, park and walk. No advantage of being at the Poly as to being at, say, WL/AKL for that.

Not having to rent a car and being able to take that short walk over to TTC really is a wonderful thing IMO. I love being able to hop on the monorail or boat to get to MK or walk to TTC to hop on the monorail to get to Epcot. The walk to TTC IMO is no different than walking to a parking lot to get my car. Driving to TTC then still having to hop on the monorail is so much more trouble IMO. I realize some people enjoy driving on vacation but not everybody does. I LOVE the transportation options at Poly.

With your experiences, I can definitely see why you'd be frustrated.

As I said, we have our car, and we do drive to DHS, AK, BB, DTD. We're just not bus fans. But to me the walk to the TTC is SOOOO much different than the walk from any parking lot into a park (eg Epcot). It's beautifully landscaped, it's so pleasant, especially at night with the torches. That's one of my favorite things about the Poly, I just love that walk back from the TTC monorail.

I'm surprised b/c I've never heard anyone say that transportation to Epcot is more convenient from the Contemporary. Yes the monorail stop is closer GOING to the TTC, but what about coming back? Wouldn't you have to switch to the resort monorail and then ride all the way around?

 

[maiapapaya]

Thanks for the review norybell! I love your Halloween pic!

 

[norybell]

Thanks for the review norybell! I love your Halloween pic!

Thanks! Walking alone from the TTC to my room (at the opposite end of the completely deserted Poly grounds), at 1:00 in the morning after the Halloween party, with a full moon in the sky and the MK Halloween music playing faintly in the background, getting a tad bit lost along the way, was actually a bit creepy!

But creepy in a really cool way!

 

[j9psu]

Super trip report, Norybell. Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed review!

LOVED your photos! The one with the tree could be used on a postcard , and the "Halloween" shot is just plain fun. Thanks for sharing!

 

[DebbyLof428]

Thanks! Walking alone from the TTC to my room (at the opposite end of the completely deserted Poly grounds), at 1:00 in the morning after the Halloween party, with a full moon in the sky and the MK Halloween music playing faintly in the background, getting a tad bit lost along the way, was actually a bit creepy!

But creepy in a really cool way!

Weren't the launches still running? I think the walk back to your room would have been shorter if you took the resort monorail back to the Poly(and probably less creepy)

 

[norybell]

Super trip report, Norybell. Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed review!

LOVED your photos! The one with the tree could be used on a postcard , and the "Halloween" shot is just plain fun. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! I actually have a ton more photos...once I start my TR, I'll pop over here and let people know!

Weren't the launches still running? I think the walk back to your room would have been shorter if you took the resort monorail back to the Poly(and probably less creepy)

Oh yes, the launches and the resort monorail were still running, I just picked the shortest line of the three! And I enjoyed the creepiness!

 

[ClareH37]

norybell thank you so much for the beautiful pictures and review - I've just booked my first stay at the Poly for next November, and am also solo I love the Epcot resort area, particularly the Boardwalk Inn, but also stayed at the Yacht Club, but there's something about the Poly that is so beautiful I've been considering staying there for some time. Goodness knows I've made so many tweaks to this trip lol but I know I'm finally set and happy on the Poly.

I know it's a year away but I cannot wait.

I'm going to make time to read this whole thread, I apologise in advance to everyone for no doubt lots of silly questions.

 

[Daisey Mae]

I have got to say I have been reading on this board for years and have never posted. I have found it very helpful however with an upcoming trip planned to the Poly in 29 days I have been reading many negative posts. I understand that this is just a small percentage of those who stay but Yikes! I have actually talked with my Travel agent to see if we could move. I have stayed at the Poly before and didn't see nearly the room problems that people are reporting. That said I also have the mindset that its only a room and very small percentage of time is spent in it for us and its about the location. I hope we still feel the same way after this years trip. But feel like I am now going thinking I am going to be upset with our room and haven't even got there=(

 

[PamelaKay]

Thanks! Walking alone from the TTC to my room (at the opposite end of the completely deserted Poly grounds), at 1:00 in the morning after the Halloween party, with a full moon in the sky and the MK Halloween music playing faintly in the background, getting a tad bit lost along the way, was actually a bit creepy!

But creepy in a really cool way!

Thanks for the preview. I can't wait to read your full trip report. I really enjoyed the one in 2009. Are you going to write a little song for this one.

I enjoyed your report last year so much I took my first solo trip in December 2009 staying at the Dolphin and then another one in March 2010 staying at the AKL.

I have fun when I go to WDW with family and friends, but isn't it wonderful to go alone and to be able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it and not have to consider anyone else.

It is my goal also to stay at all the Deluxe and Moderates. I am taking my mom and dad and staying at the Poly in less than 30 days. That leaves the CR as the only MK resort I haven't visited. I still have all of the Epcot resorts to go and CBR. I am planning to upgrade to an annual pass in December so in 2011 I can go whenever the mood strikes me.

Congratulations on the wedding. Hope you have an awesome honeymoon once you get to go.

 

[annej]

norybell - we too got upgraded to that room last november! It was wonderful!

 

[taylor3297]

I have got to say I have been reading on this board for years and have never posted. I have found it very helpful however with an upcoming trip planned to the Poly in 29 days I have been reading many negative posts. I understand that this is just a small percentage of those who stay but Yikes! I have actually talked with my Travel agent to see if we could move. I have stayed at the Poly before and didn't see nearly the room problems that people are reporting. That said I also have the mindset that its only a room and very small percentage of time is spent in it for us and its about the location. I hope we still feel the same way after this years trip. But feel like I am now going thinking I am going to be upset with our room and haven't even got there=(

I have stopped reading those reviews myself. We stayed at the Poly in 2007 and didn't have any problems. Also, after some looking around on the boards, I have found negative reviews on every resort.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Thanks! Walking alone from the TTC to my room (at the opposite end of the completely deserted Poly grounds), at 1:00 in the morning after the Halloween party, with a full moon in the sky and the MK Halloween music playing faintly in the background, getting a tad bit lost along the way, was actually a bit creepy!

But creepy in a really cool way!

That does sound cool! Super cool!

I can. not. wait! December isn't coming fast enough!

 

[norybell]

norybell thank you so much for the beautiful pictures and review - I've just booked my first stay at the Poly for next November, and am also solo I love the Epcot resort area, particularly the Boardwalk Inn, but also stayed at the Yacht Club, but there's something about the Poly that is so beautiful I've been considering staying there for some time. Goodness knows I've made so many tweaks to this trip lol but I know I'm finally set and happy on the Poly.

You're going to love the Poly! I was always a diehard Epcot resort fan -- it's hard to beat the convenience of being able to walk to two parks! -- but after staying at the GF, the Poly, and the CR in the past year, I think I've converted. Now I'm a monorail resort girl, and proud of it!

Thanks for the preview. I can't wait to read your full trip report. I really enjoyed the one in 2009. Are you going to write a little song for this one.

I enjoyed your report last year so much I took my first solo trip in December 2009 staying at the Dolphin and then another one in March 2010 staying at the AKL.

I have fun when I go to WDW with family and friends, but isn't it wonderful to go alone and to be able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it and not have to consider anyone else.

It is my goal also to stay at all the Deluxe and Moderates. I am taking my mom and dad and staying at the Poly in less than 30 days. That leaves the CR as the only MK resort I haven't visited. I still have all of the Epcot resorts to go and CBR. I am planning to upgrade to an annual pass in December so in 2011 I can go whenever the mood strikes me.

Congratulations on the wedding. Hope you have an awesome honeymoon once you get to go.

Thanks! I'm so happy I helped inspire you to go solo...it's so wonderful, in such a different way than with family or friends, isn't it? I got an AP this past trip, too...I think it will be a dangerous thing.

(And yes, my next trip report will probably involve a song or two! My first one did, my current one does...I think I'm stuck with them now! )

norybell - we too got upgraded to that room last november! It was wonderful!

It really was the perfect room! And such a wonderful surprise!