ALOHA! The Poly FAQ: Fall 2010 Edition

[Tess]

We started off our trip at the Pop for 5 nights. We do really like the Pop except for a few things. Room size! Bed size! Towels and toilet paper! My kids also love the arcade at the Pop and were disappointed in the one at the Poly. We spent more time at the parks while at the Pop and more time enjoying the resort at the Poly. We stayed in Rarotonga for 7 nights. It was a far more used and abused building than where we stayed last year, Aotearoa. The carpet in the hallway was well stained. The paint was all chipping off around the door frame inside our room and wallpaper was chipped off. The inner curtain also had something brown splattered on it. Everything else was wonderful! Those little things will not get to us unless we paid rack rate. Then I might bother me a little. We had a view of the Monorail, as we did last yr. We were in 3819. My ds couldn't have been happier. We also had 2 maintenance issues. Our toilet just wouldn't flush (it wasn't clogged! Just wouldn't flush.) and the tub was clogged. They came very promptly and to fix the problem. The location of the room was perfect for this trip since DH had a broken ankle and this was great. Extremely easy access to our car in the parking lot. However, we don't think it would be our 1st choice again. We almost felt to secluded from the ambiance of the Poly. We like walking into the GCH and through the grounds to our room. We also had a lot of rain, so that made it a good location also. Ohana's was great. It took us a while to eat there, but we just wanted to be done to see the fireworks. We had an 8:05 ADR and finished at 9:45. Our server said we could stay and watch from there, but we didn't want to. We didn't wait long after we check in to get our table either. I went to order a drink and was just about to get waited on and it was time to go to our table. Captain Cooks was really good also, but I did get tired of their selections. We like most things plain and most of the sandwiches aren't half of what they are if they were plain. I ate a lot of flatbread pizza! It was good, but I just got tired of it. Of course we loved the pool. We spent a good amount of time in it. Most days we eventually snagged a table near it, but man people claim them early and don't give them up, even when they all leave at the same time w/ most of their stuff. That got really annoying. All in all we had a fantastic time. I cannot wait to go back! I'm really bummed about all the early release dates on discounts and none for summer. Being teachers, we always get stuck going during the most expensive times and most crowded. Oh well, not going there. So there you have my mini-review. I will try to post pictures when I get them off my memory card and onto my computer.

Welcome back and sad to hear the maintenance issues were a problem for you. Sounds as if you made the most of it despite the minor annoyances.

 

[dizneechic]

Thanks Maxsmom for the review. Did you happen to notice what the current bounceback was? Has it been updated since there are now discounts extending through Sept of next year?

 

[bluejasmine]

Listening to my Disney World CDs and daydreaming about WDW and the Poly as I work.. 15 more work days, 21 days in total..

 

[MMrules]

I am getting ready to book the Poly for July 2011!!! (if there are no discounts offered later, I am going to have to downgrade, but I figured I would start with the best!).

That being said, I can only afford a garden view room. Does anyone have any suggestions of what building I should request????I actually would love veiws of the monorail from our room.....

 

[Tess]

I am getting ready to book the Poly for July 2011!!! (if there are no discounts offered later, I am going to have to downgrade, but I figured I would start with the best!).

That being said, I can only afford a garden view room. Does anyone have any suggestions of what building I should request????I actually would love veiws of the monorail from our room.....

If your preference is monorail views, request Rarotonga or Aotearoa. Be sure to ask for the south side (monorail side) of the longhouse.

 

[MMrules]

If your preference is monorail views, request Rarotonga or Aotearoa. Be sure to ask for the south side (monorail side) of the longhouse.

Thanks Tess!!! That is a great help!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Thanks maxsmom for the review!!!

Okay - click on the thumbnail and then you can zoom in from there to read.... Sorry - I tried a whole bunch of other ways to share these and this way was the only one that kinda worked

Thank you SO much for these! I was just going to see if anyone had a recent activity calendar to share

jkstewart1800: Thanks!!!!!

Do the movies continue into September?

What is the bug situation like? Will we need bug spray to watch the movies?

The movies should continue in September but they may alter the times to coincide with the sun setting earlier. And I've never had a problem with bugs at Disney or the Poly except for love bugs which don't really 'bug' people (like biting) and Disney also has an insect control program in place and that is why even though you are in a hot, humid climate, you don't get a lot of bugs. That being said though, other folks have had some mosquito issues so if you are sensitive to it, bring bug spray.

Packing and doing laundry...got the kids haircuts today....ordered my stroller from orlando stroller rental..double and triple checking my folder to make sure I have all my itineraries printed..plane confirmations..ADRs...gosh I am so excited I can't sleep!!! what to do next...what to do next.....

Only 2 days left for you
Have fun and post your review when you return!!!

 

[TheNewMrsB]

30 days...as of tomorrow we'll be in the 20's...!!!!

We got word a few days ago that a family-related wrinkle in our plans which was causing me and especially DH unwelcome stress had been ironed out - so now we can fully enjoy planning and anticipating! Yay!

 

[DisneyBarlans]

Aloha friends

guitarob, the thread is awesome. You have done such a excellent job! It is also great that you are going soon so you can get updated info and new pictures . Thank you so much for continuing the best thread on the DIS

It is nice to see so many new poly lovers on the thread. I have not been frequenting the board lately so I know I have missed some trip reports/reviews and plan on going back and reading each page. I hope you all had great stays and I am looking forward to catching up.

Sadly, we have had a horrific summer and I am debating a trip in the fall or early December. After I got cleared and was on the mend from my medical issues my Mom got diagnosed on June 28th with lung cancer that had already spread through her body. We lost her last Sunday just 6 weeks after her diagnosis. My Mom and I were really close as was my Breezy So, we need some Poly therapy along with Disney magic...and soon!

I am waiting to see about these alleged discounts that are supposed to come out tomorrow for fall and 2011 before I make my final decision but I am definitely booking a trip to Disney tomorrow regardless if it is for October or December or adjusting our March trip to earlier dates. I am sure planning and looking forward to a trip to the Poly will be good therapy for all of us. My Dad, even expressed a remote interest in joining us. I would love to take my Dad to Disney World and the Poly! I know he would love the holiday decor if we went in early December which would coincide with Mom's b-day so I am aiming for early December if possible.

Sorry to be a bit of a downer... I have missed this thread and all my Poly peeps. I look forward to be more active posting and planning again!

BreezysMom-getting caught up with this thread and I just saw this...just wanted to say that I'm so sorry for your loss and I'll keep your family in my prayers. I think that a trip to Disney (especially at the Poly) will be fantastic therapy for your family. Hopefully you can get a discount-I'll send some pixie dust your way.

 

[DisneyBarlans]

Getting excited about our upcoming trip in November-right now we have ressies at POR, but I'm feeling a case of resort changeitis coming on....especially when DS5 told me that he REALLY wanted to stay at the Poly...me to buddy, me too! Now if I can only convince DH...

 

[jmkst58]

Is there any chance of seeing the EWP from a theme park view room in tahiti? I know that you CAN from a theme park view room in Tuvalu, correct?

Help?

This is only my 2nd time staying at the Polynesian. And the last time was in 2002- in a garden view room. I'm overwhelmed.

2 weeks and 1 day left to go!!!

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

Is there any chance of seeing the EWP from a theme park view room in tahiti? I know that you CAN from a theme park view room in Tuvalu, correct?

Help?

This is only my 2nd time staying at the Polynesian. And the last time was in 2002- in a garden view room. I'm overwhelmed.

2 weeks and 1 day left to go!!!

You sure can. If you go back a few pages I have some photos posted up and two links one of them is for wishes but at the start of the video you can see where the EWP is stopped waiting for wishes.

ETA went and found the link. You can make out the sea serpent (again I give the warning it is closer than it looks this was shot with a webcam)

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2399030

 

[diskris]

Gots another question for you guys! Sorry!

The coffee maker in the room:

Can I make tea in there? Can I just run water through to boil it?

If I don't want the dreaded coffee how do I make my own and what do I buy at Walmart?

Thanks!

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

Gots another question for you guys! Sorry!

The coffee maker in the room:

Can I make tea in there? Can I just run water through to boil it?

If I don't want the dreaded coffee how do I make my own and what do I buy at Walmart?

Thanks!

Yes you can just run water thru the Coffee maker. For Coffee we bring down 4 cup filters, a coffee measure scoop (optional), and of course coffee.

Side note: other than the Nescafe junk at Capt. Cooks you can get real coffee at the Poly upstairs at the GCH and at the TTC just at the top of Ferry Boat Ramp.

 

[jmkst58]

You sure can. If you go back a few pages I have some photos posted up and two links one of them is for wishes but at the start of the video you can see where the EWP is stopped waiting for wishes.

ETA went and found the link. You can make out the sea serpent (again I give the warning it is closer than it looks this was shot with a webcam)

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2399030

that was a really good view! thanks so much for posting that.

 

[daleed77]

Well, we are back at Poly during the holidays again! Last year, I thought it was a freak occurrence with a wedding of a childhood friend. It turns out that we have another wedding to attend this year!

Last year was my first visit to Poly and we had a blast. We stayed in a garden club level room and enjoyed it. However, we didn't think the lounge was really worth it for us. If we had kids I would stay on club level again, but we spend a lot of the time in the parks.

So after reading Tikiman's site, I'm requesting Tokelau longhouse. My question is: If I want to try for a garden view room that has a view of the castle, what should I request? I think requesting the West side of the building, near the beach, 3rd or 2nd floor.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
D

 

[Penelope2000]

We've been back just about 24 hours, and had a wonderful 6 nights, 7 days at the Poly. I hope to post a trip report when a little more rested!

Just a few thoughts specific to Poly:

The Lounge was great - always enough food, beautiful views, most people would clear their dirty dishes (except on the third floor, where there were usually dishes on tables). We did not at all get tired of the food offerings. I didn't have to cook!!! It was fun to try new things, I loved being able to grab a Longboard beer (will miss those!) and with the heat we ended up paying OOP for three sit down meals (California Grill, 50's & Boma) then had a counter service a day. Otherwise the lounge was enough. The oatmeal is wonderful with the dried cherries and dried currants sprinkled on top. We miss the lounge a lot, so I created a "lounge meal" tonight with pineapple, grilled meat skewers, cheese, crackers, and a close approximation of the punch. Helped us "ease" into being home.

Club Level Value: CL is really worth it at 40% off, with 4 people, two of them teens. I crunched a lot of numbers, and know that we saved money versus staying in a regular GV room, or in two value resort rooms, paying for all food OOP.

CL GV Poly: $303 a night (additional $84)
GV Poly: $219 a night
2 Pop Rooms: averaged to $200 a night

We ate 4 breakfasts a day; - figure $7 each x 4 = $28
4 sodas a day; figure $2 each x 4 = $ 8
4 appetizers a day; figure $12 each x 4 = $48
bottled water figure $12 day = $12
beer 2 each adult @ 8 each figure $ 8 each x 4 = $32
afternoon snacks figure $ 3 each x 4 = $12
desserts figure $ 4 each x 4 = $16

equals: $156

The above is conservative. We enjoyed the fruit, juices, more coffee (to stay awake!) and drank a lot of liquids to stay hydrated. I always grabbed a cup of water when going downstairs. Now, I know that I could be more frugal by not having beer, and by sending ahead bottled water, but I still say we came out ahead. If you half any of the above amounts except for beer, we still came out ahead (than if we stayed regular GV room and paid for all the above OOP.) That being said, we have said that next time, as we will need new tickets, we might begin our stay staying at POP for 5 nights with free dining, then transfer to a 40% off Poly club level for the last few nights of our stay, upgrading our tickets to more days. (This time we had 5 days of unexpired tickets that we were using, so Free Dining was not going to be cost effective for us - we also needed 3 beds.) This way we could have our fun table service experiences which we love, then have a few nights of relaxing snacking in the lounge before heading off to the parks.

The only negative thing about the lounge: I found really difficult to tune out was a loud squeek coming from the decorative fans that sweep sideways at the balcony up to the 3rd floor. I did mention this nicely three different times to the 1st floor concierge, and each time they said they put a call into maintenance. Each time they hadn't noticed it until I mentioned it, then they heard it - and were surprised that they could hear it from the 1st floor! That is the type of noise that can help to set off a migraine for me, so I did not spend much time in the lounge. Maybe that is their intent! Fireworks don't bother me, other noises, but loud repeated metal on metal squeaks I find difficult to listen to.

That being said, on our last morning my dh and I walked over to the GCH and he realized that he needed another sugar for his coffee. We walked into Captain Cooks, which we utilized late nights for our Dole Whip fixes after returning from the parks. Wow. Wall of noise at breakfast. Lots of little ones, many of they crying/screaming - poor things. Captain Cooks should be twice the size at breakfast. As we walked through and into the lobby, I turned to my dh and said that I was really grateful for the lounge. He laughed, and said that he had been thinking the same thing! The lounge is perfect for using with teens. We could send them off to breakfast, or we could head down, and everyone had their time in the room.

The daybed: Is at least the length of a Twin XL mattress. Both of my teens utilized it, and both found it to be very comfortable. My ds is 6'1", and my dd is 5'11". They could both stretch out fully.

Mousekeeping: our mousekeeper, Emina, was simply wonderful. Our room was always clean, we always had towel animals, and she even showed me how to make a towel elephant when I asked. I will post photos in a trip report.

On-Line Check-In:

Don't do it if; you are staying club level; do not want charging for some in your party, or the keys will need to be reissued anyway; want unexpired tickets added to your room keys. Since we did to the on-line check in, we had to pick up our packet at the GCH, and did not have the drive over to Hawaii that my kids were looking forward to in a golf cart. Help hauling our carry ons would have been great as well. Also, I am sure that this in some way was part of the difficulty in adding our unexpired tickets to our room keys. Since we arrived so early, and we had to see the concierge anyway, it would have made more sense to not do online check in.

PhotoPass Portraits at the Poly: We LOVE our photos from around the Poly. Brian was our photographer. Those were the only souvenir I had planned on spending money on this trip (Deluxe is a luxury for us) and I am thrilled.

Transportation: The boat to MK was lovely, walking to the TTC was a fantastic amenity, the monorail was great (except when we tried to make rope drop for MK extra MH am, there was an issue and we waited about 25 minutes.) And buses were as expected. I liked the fact that we could take the first "monorail resort" bus that came by, as the Contemporary shares with the Poly, and if you instead take a bus to the GF, it is either a short walk or boat ride to the Poly (more fun!) or even a monorail ride. Sometimes it is just so hot to wait for the next bus!

Food at Captain Cooks: fine CS, never had a Dole Whip before this trip. VERY wonderful. A rainbow in your mouth. Yum. Being able to order a flatbread at 2 am is also a real plus with teens.

Food at Kona Cafe: We ate there twice. We arrived early at the resort, and they were still serving Breakfast at 11 am - the Tonga toast was good, but the pancakes with nuts and pineapple FANTASTIC, sausage, which I am always leery of ordering out, was very excellent. Press pot of coffee, delish. Lunch: Kona Sandwich very large, tasty. That being said, my dh had a burger and it was the best burger we have ever had. Moist, yummy, etc. We all love the textures and the color of the decorative elements of the Kona Cafe. One of our favorite restaurants at DW. Most highly recommended. If I was doing MK with kids and wanted to do a table service, and did not happen to have a reservation, I would consider taking the monorail to the Poly/Kona Cafe. I was surprised that we could get in on our last day, as it was during free dining.

Ohana - we did not eat there, but walked by - it is very loud, for those of you wondering. We preferred the quieter Kona Cafe. We walked in twice.

Clouds and flora/fauna: I have to mention these, because they were the most glorious clouds - sunset hitting them is the most beautiful thing. I am heartsick missing them. In 6 nights we saw three rainbows, and a double rainbow one afternoon. The lush landscaping is very romantic and relaxing. We saw small lizards darting across the paths. We now call the ducks there Disney Pigeons. They are all over, begging. We saw one snatch something out of the hand of a woman sitting on the beach.

Noise in room: rarely heard anyone, until the last two nights, when I was woken up at about 1:30 am from a very loud conversation about how not to gain weight on free dining coming through the connecting door. And the next day in the afternoon the same people yelling at each other. Otherwise, very quiet rooms.

Special Amenities: The music was not too loud at the pool, though one afternoon I could hear the base beat in the room when trying to take a nap. They had two teen activity times on different days when we were there, and they gave away nice prizes - my ds received a half an hour on one of the marina racer boats (forget what they are called.) Fireworks from the lounge were lovely, but I couldn't stay too long because of the loud squeak from those fans.

Only hiccup we had: we had unused days from no-expire ticket. My dd was 8 when they were initially purchased. Because of this, the concierge could not add them to her room key. So, we headed over the MK guest services where I had stupidly thought they could add them electronically, and did not have my dd's room key with me. They issued her a paper ticket. They also discovered that the concierge had not been successful in adding the unexpired tickets to our room keys. So they had to reissue our room keys. The next day or so my 13 year old dd lost her ticket (not being attached to her room key) so they had to reissue it. Found out at that time that something had happened to "corrupt our reservation" so we had to stop in to the lobby on our way back from Epcot with tired and cranky teens (our room keys would no longer work.) The CM there was wonderful, but because of the system or reissuing new numbers every time a ticket is reissued (and we had all ready had our keys reissued because of the unsuccessful attempt to add our unexpired tickets) there were a lot of tracing the history of the numbers. After he printed new room keys, I looked at them, and they did not say "no charging" for my two teens. I mentioned this, and he said that it should be the same as they were originally, and he was surprised to see that they did not match they "keys" in our hands. So he reissued keys. Room charging was on two incorrect cards. He reissued new keys. By now I was just laughing with tiredness and the somewhat surreal aspect of the whole thing. I apologized, and said that I was not laughing at him, but at all the key issues we were having. He was relieved that we were not yelling. Because we have had keys reissued at least 5 times, and our no-expire tickets reassigned new numbers that many times, I had a print out issued when we left. (BTW, having a copy of the ticket numbers on me at all times was invaluable on this trip. My DD didn't realize until she was at Epcot (my DH and I went earlier, and our teens followed about an hour later) that she couldn't find her ticket. I was able to go out, meet her, and hand guest services my ticket numbers. Very grateful for this.

Garden View: Was lovely. We stayed in room 3523 - loved the balcony, private time with DH, and it also really helps when drying clothing on the chairs - we would never drape the balcony, but the chairs were really helpful, and you cannot see them from below. We had a view of the pool and clouds, and most other Hawaii 3rd floor GV rooms had tall palms in front of them.

Coffee in the Lounge: Not that great. Instant Nescafe. We brought Via packets from Starbucks, which helped.

Water in the lounge: fine to refill bottles for the park. They also let us take back bottles to our rooms, which was wonderful when coming back late from the park.

I will post an official trip report, but thought that some of the above might be helpful - I know that I worried about the size of the daybeds before our trip.

I also would encourage any and all of you to mention the squeaky fans, because the more they hear from, hopefully the faster they will fix this. It may not be an issue at all for those that can tune it out, however for those of us who get migraines, that sort of noise can help to set them off. A migraine at DW ends up being a very expensive one because all you can do is pull the shades closed and sleep.

Last: The CM's were wonderful. They are there and positive when many surrounding them are hot and complaining. Try and diffuse the situation. There was a woman at the lounge one morning, just prior to opening. She was beginning to get agitated because the offerings were not available just yet. At a minute after 7, she turned to me and was asking me to commiserate with her frustration over them being "late." I smiled, said, "oh, its just a minute or two, I'm here to enjoy myself" and she turned away, somewhat diffused and a little confused.

I'll leave you with a
Dole Whip Haiku

Rainbow in my mouth
Swirling mountain piled so high
Pineapple Dole Whip

Guess I have to delete my counter. Sigh.

 

[BreezysMom]

Penelope2000 very nice detailed review

It sounds like you had a wonderful trip. I liked the way you tried to redirect the negative guest in the lounge. I always try to spread my positive vibes in situations like that

We stayed in the room next door to yours last fall and had the same Mousekeeper. She is a gem. The room location was perfect for us and I enjoyed the view as well.

I am glad you enjoyed your stay!

 

[bluejasmine]

Morning everyone!

Thanks for that very detailed review Penelope2000!

Question.. does the Poly have the channel that plays the old disney cartoons? I remember having it one yr at ASMo & POR but I havent seen it in quite some time, I was tell DH about it and he was saying he would love to see it.

 

[leane]

I need some input for the pros

I am thinking of trying to step down from a TPV to lagoon view for our trip both on CL

The only difference is the fact you are guaranteed a non-obstructed view of the castle with the TPV room right?
I could save almost $100 downgrading the room which after doing my budget is kind of needed...

Can I get opinions from you. The best part was thinking we would be able to see the castle right from our room and fall asleep looking at that great site. But if we most likely would be able to see it anyway with a lagoon view I would like to save the money... can you help me ....