ALOHA! The Poly FAQ: Fall 2010 Edition

[Bean Counter]

Aloha from the Hawaii building! I am so excited to be back at my favorite place and had to share with my Poly Internet friends - I know y'all understand that ahhhh feeling.

We have a wonderful third floor MK view and it is obvious some maintenance has taken place since our stay in the same room last December. The closet doors open all the way now, the new shower head mentioned a few posts ago has been installed, and the furniture looks refreshed.

For those who may be interested:
Only two of the six tiki torches running between Hawaii and the beach are working properly/lit tonight.
Boutiki has more resort specific merchandise than I remember seeing in the recent past. There was even one (size small) Poly embroidered polo shirt for sale. The last time I saw a resort specific polo was back in 2007 or 2008.

Okay, off to check out the dessert offerings.

 

[guitarob]

For those who may be interested:
Only two of the six tiki torches running between Hawaii and the beach are working properly/lit tonight.

That's odd. I wonder if they're having a problem with them. I noticed when we were there in September that the torches were sporadic. I can't believe it's gone on this long.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Aloha from the Hawaii building! I am so excited to be back at my favorite place and had to share with my Poly Internet friends - I know y'all understand that ahhhh feeling.

We have a wonderful third floor MK view and it is obvious some maintenance has taken place since our stay in the same room last December. The closet doors open all the way now, the new shower head mentioned a few posts ago has been installed, and the furniture looks refreshed.

For those who may be interested:
Only two of the six tiki torches running between Hawaii and the beach are working properly/lit tonight.
Boutiki has more resort specific merchandise than I remember seeing in the recent past. There was even one (size small) Poly embroidered polo shirt for sale. The last time I saw a resort specific polo was back in 2007 or 2008.

Okay, off to check out the dessert offerings.

Thanks for the live report. We are leaving today at noon and staying at DTD Hilton tonight. Checkin bright and early tomorrow am at Poly!

I didn't request a specific building, only a full balcony. Is there a specific building I should avoid?

 

[j9psu]

I think I read some posts awhile back that mentioned a not-so-fresh musty smell in Tahiti rooms. Has anyone who stayed there recently (and is sensitive to such issues) able to confirm or deny? This sounds like a decent longhouse, but I don't hear it mentioned as often as some of the others. I wouldn't want to request a longhouse that might send my allergies into overdrive. Thanks for any feedback!

Another question...I read somewhere that guests were able to watch Wishes from the 'back porch' of Tokelau. It sounded as though music was piped in there, as well. Thoughts? Is this possible? It seems that the preferred spot to watch the fireworks would be the beach, but others have mentioned that the music isn't always piped in. That's a big part of the show for me, so I want to maximize my chances of having both. Thanks!

 

[Tennshooter]

Just got back from a 6 night stay in Tahiti - room 1303. Great Longhouse. Close to GCH, marina and pool while not too close to feel like you are on top of everything.

No musty smell at all. Fresh paint and very clean.

Had great view of Grand Floridian Wedding chapel and lagoon.

Would definitely recommend this longhouse.

 

[LowesChevy]

We in were in room 1033 in Tahiti, no foul odors or objectionable smells. I am pretty sensitive myself, so I understand.

 

[guitarob]

Hello fellow Polynesian lovers here is my most recent review...enjoy ...
Erika

Thanks for a great review!!

 

[Susiesnowflake]

Bean counter, I definitely know that ahhh feeling. 35 more days, and I'll be experiencing it again too. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

I've noticed some of those tiki torches go out on windy nights. Some automatically re-light, and others seem to have difficulty. How I love strolling the grounds with those torches lit at night!

J9psu, there isn't music for Wishes piped close enough to Tokelau to hear it. I have found that you really need to be down near the beach to hear the piped in sound. In front of Hawaii and near the Volcano pool seems to be the best. Other areas are hit or miss in my experience. It's like those speakers are sometimes turned off.

 

[BelleRocks]

Our last day here...but have had a wonderful time!

To the poster who asked about the "back porch" of Tokelau, you can see very well from the third floor stair landing, but music is rather distant. Music was much better on the beach.

Will post more when I return, but no worries from us, things have been great.

 

[j9psu]

Thanks everybody for the updates about Tahiti (good news on the freshness-factor! ), and for the info. about watching Wishes from Tokelau. It sounds like we'll definitely want to head down to the beach (near Hawaii). Thanks!

Seems like a lot of positive "live" trip reports in recent days. Yay!

 

[msvlg]

Aloha from the Hawaii building! I am so excited to be back at my favorite place and had to share with my Poly Internet friends - I know y'all understand that ahhhh feeling.

We have a wonderful third floor MK view and it is obvious some maintenance has taken place since our stay in the same room last December. The closet doors open all the way now, the new shower head mentioned a few posts ago has been installed, and the furniture looks refreshed.

For those who may be interested:
Only two of the six tiki torches running between Hawaii and the beach are working properly/lit tonight.
Boutiki has more resort specific merchandise than I remember seeing in the recent past. There was even one (size small) Poly embroidered polo shirt for sale. The last time I saw a resort specific polo was back in 2007 or 2008.

Okay, off to check out the dessert offerings.

We will be staying CL TPV in two weeks! I'm getting so excited about our trip and especially about the TPV room. I hope we get third floor. What was your room number? Take lots of pictures!!!

 

[DebbyLof428]

We will be staying CL TPV in two weeks! I'm getting so excited about our trip and especially about the TPV room. I hope we get third floor. What was your room number? Take lots of pictures!!!

We will also be there in 2 weeks staying CL TPV. I have already taken out the suitcase and started putting a few things in.

I remember a post about the most accurate long range weather forecast but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone have a recommendation?

 

[j9psu]

We will also be there in 2 weeks staying CL TPV. I have already taken out the suitcase and started putting a few things in.

I remember a post about the most accurate long range weather forecast but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone have a recommendation?

We are big fans of AccuWeather.com They have a 15-day forecast that is usually fairly accurate. Be sure to look for their "RealFeel" predictions each day. This indicates what the air will actually feel like when taking into account wind, humidity etc. There can sometimes be quite a big difference between the two, and I depend on "RealFeel" when packing for a trip.

 

[LaniesMom]

I remember a post about the most accurate long range weather forecast but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone have a recommendation?

http://www.accuweather.com has always been right on for my trips, I use it often for all of my travels. Not sure if this is the one you're referring to, but hopefully it's right for you!

 

[DISNEY1975]

Please tell me they still have Tonga Toast, breakfast platters, breakfast sandwich and Mickey waffles!!! We will be eating a good portion of our breakfasts here and it states is was updated 9/10....am I missing something?

I just got back last night. Yes, they have all the breakfast offerings you mentioned above...not sure about the waffles though. I didnt notice, but that doesnt mean they are not at CCs.

 

[LaniesMom]

We are big fans of AccuWeather.com They have a 15-day forecast that is usually fairly accurate. Be sure to look for their "RealFeel" predictions each day. This indicates what the air will actually feel like when taking into account wind, humidity etc. There can sometimes be quite a big difference between the two, and I depend on "RealFeel" when packing for a trip.

j9psu, We were thinking the same thing (and typing it) at the exact same time! Great minds!

 

[j9psu]

j9psu, We were thinking the same thing (and typing it) at the exact same time! Great minds!

Hope you have a great trip, (and great weather!) my like-minded friends!

P.S. I just realized that we'll be there at the same time! So I DOUBLY wish you great weather!

 

[1971DBday]

Having a rough day and I just need my vacation!!!!!

 

[Chelley00]

We're here now. The grounds are beautiful, especially at night. Every CM has been very friendly and welcoming. No wear and tear that we've seen. Ohana dinner was great tonight!

However. :-(. I'm so disappointed.

Last night we were given a room at the far end of aoretorea. We were so close to the monorail that the whole room shook everytime it went by. Between that and the road traffic,'it was hard to sleep,'even with a fan running all night.

The front desk was more than happy to move us to a quieter room and today they checked us in to a room in Fiji.....right across from the elevator and vending machine. The monorail room was quieter

Determined to make the best of it, I unpacked everything, if nothing because the marina view is pretty.

Tonight turning the beds down,'one had blood on the sheets and an eyelash in it. I called housekeeping who said they would send someone down to change the sheets. I pulled the other cover back and the blanket had dried food crusted on it. Right now mousekeeping is here changing both the beds and I'm just frustrated. I'm so glad I Lysol our room when we get in one. Its just nasty. There is no way the sheets were changed after he last guest left. I'm just thankful my mom, who is here on her first visit,'was with her friend and not here to see all this :-(

I wanted to come back and update now that our trip is over. After that night, we never had a problem with mousekeeping. We returned every day to our room straightened, beds freshly made, bathroom spotless. It's odd (and just nasty) that sheets were missed between guests.

I did speak with the front desk and a manager, and when I told him that someone had come and changed the night before, he said he was happy things had been taken care of for us. That was it. Not "I'll speak to mousekeeping" and no apology or anything. I felt like he really blew us off.

So, we come home totally mixed about the Poly. The grounds were so pretty, we loved watching fireworks from the beach, the kids loved the pool slide, the CMs were almost all friendly and helpful, we loved the space of the room and the daybed. The monorail was so handy, and the kids loved playing on the beach. The only wear and tear our room had was a little peeling wallpaper near the daybed. The marina view from our room was beautiful, especially at night.

However, the dirty sheets in a new room really turned me off. Plus, it's soooo busy. I kept reading how relaxing the Poly was, but there were constantly people walking around, especially past our patio in Fiji headed to the Luau. Getting to the monorail could be a pain because we had to walk past Ohana and Kona to get there and it was ALWAYS crowded. Captain Cook's didn't really thrill us, so we only ate there once. It didn't really seem horribly crowded.

Our fridge was not cooling at all (our milk starting "sweating" it was so hot in there) so maintenance came and moved it out of the pantry area and into the room near the desk. After that it worked fine.

I feel bad for being so disappointed. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either

 

[taylor3297]

I wanted to come back and update now that our trip is over. After that night, we never had a problem with mousekeeping. We returned every day to our room straightened, beds freshly made, bathroom spotless. It's odd (and just nasty) that sheets were missed between guests.

I did speak with the front desk and a manager, and when I told him that someone had come and changed the night before, he said he was happy things had been taken care of for us. That was it. Not "I'll speak to mousekeeping" and no apology or anything. I felt like he really blew us off.

So, we come home totally mixed about the Poly. The grounds were so pretty, we loved watching fireworks from the beach, the kids loved the pool slide, the CMs were almost all friendly and helpful, we loved the space of the room and the daybed. The monorail was so handy, and the kids loved playing on the beach. The only wear and tear our room had was a little peeling wallpaper near the daybed. The marina view from our room was beautiful, especially at night.

However, the dirty sheets in a new room really turned me off. Plus, it's soooo busy. I kept reading how relaxing the Poly was, but there were constantly people walking around, especially past our patio in Fiji headed to the Luau. Getting to the monorail could be a pain because we had to walk past Ohana and Kona to get there and it was ALWAYS crowded. Captain Cook's didn't really thrill us, so we only ate there once. It didn't really seem horribly crowded.

Our fridge was not cooling at all (our milk starting "sweating" it was so hot in there) so maintenance came and moved it out of the pantry area and into the room near the desk. After that it worked fine.

I feel bad for being so disappointed. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either

Did you keep the cabinet doors open for the fridge? If you keep the doors on the cabinet closed then the fridge can't cool properly. You would think the CM's would tell people that when they check in.