ALOHA! The Poly FAQ~ Spring 2010 Edition

[Stefy]

We will be taking our Ipad in December and will use the 3G network to connect. Do you have the 3G on your Ipad?

I am from the UK and am not sure if my 3G will work out there without incurring huge charges.

 

[taylor3297]

I am from the UK and am not sure if my 3G will work out there without incurring huge charges.

You would need to add the AT&T international plan.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Hello my Poly friends. I am so excited to be staying at the Poly very soon!! We even upgraded to CL! We are just a little confused about what the IPO's really do. We of course are massive planners and have ADR's all set. Should I still email them and tell them we are coming as advised? New to CL (thank to the 40% off gods) so we just don't get it.

Also, are the pools open 24 hours at the Poly. I know there is no life guards but at the AKL we have been known to go swimming late at night when it is quiet and empty. A nice relaxing way to end a long park day.

THANKS for this thread and the great answers and photos. I am so excited I can't stop myself from reading it everyday!!

I believe the pools are not open 24 hours, but the IPO would be able to answer that question. If I were you I would go ahead and email them. I have sent them a couple of questions for our stay, and always receive a reply within 24 hours!

Have a great time at the Poly!!

 

[Stefy]

I think I will maybe just have to scout out WiFi Hotspots, whereabouts are they in the Poly?

 

[ZuZugal]

Hi everyone!

Our stay at the Poly (Hawaii bldg!) is less than a week away. Kids ages are 16, 15, and 7.

We have stayed there twice before, but never truly spent much time on the grounds besides the pools.

Tell me what your favorite Poly activity is...what should we absolutely do or see?

I have seen some really good reviews on Kona...and we have never eaten there so I think we'll give that a try.

We talked about the dinner show but decided against it. Our kids are very big on spending LOTS of time in the parks and are not big eaters.

 

[disneymumma]

Thank you, thank you for your advice - specifically to beautifultomorrow, Tess, maiapapaya and to mickey2minnie1!! We were able to extend our return flight by one day without cost and, because they had changed our flight time on us twice already, they also, with some pressure , gave us pre-assigned seats both ways. DH called yesterday to extend our stay by the additional day; I am...joy-filledl! Now, off to re-shuffle our schedule a bit to include the extra time! (I couldn't find a running guy..tiptoe will have to do.) Thanks again!

 

[Poppinsme]

we are doing the same, we have a minimum 2 full days of POLY resort days for our 6 day stay, and scheduled MK/Epcot days for easy breaks in the middle of the day. Our ADR's are centered around the POLY too. I can not wait to enjoy this beautiful resort!

DH and I also!!! We love a resort day or two.
Love riding the sea racers. And of course cocktails on the beach.
AHHHHHH. Can't wait.

 

[taylor3297]

I think I will maybe just have to scout out WiFi Hotspots, whereabouts are they in the Poly?

Not sure there are any since you have to pay for internet at all the Disney resorts.

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

I think I will maybe just have to scout out WiFi Hotspots, whereabouts are they in the Poly?

No WiFi at the Poly unless your lucky enough to be near someone who is paying for internet service and has hooked up a wireless router.

 

[jdd]

Hi everyone!

Our stay at the Poly (Hawaii bldg!) is less than a week away. Kids ages are 16, 15, and 7.

We have stayed there twice before, but never truly spent much time on the grounds besides the pools.

Tell me what your favorite Poly activity is...what should we absolutely do or see?

I have seen some really good reviews on Kona...and we have never eaten there so I think we'll give that a try.

We talked about the dinner show but decided against it. Our kids are very big on spending LOTS of time in the parks and are not big eaters.

Can't answer your question - sorry! - because Sept will be our first trip to the Poly! I'd like to ask you a favor though - could you please post your opinion of club level after you return? We've booked CL, but are trying to decide whether or not to just switch to a regular room. TIA!

 

[michygoomy]

Hi everyone!

Our stay at the Poly (Hawaii bldg!) is less than a week away. Kids ages are 16, 15, and 7.

We have stayed there twice before, but never truly spent much time on the grounds besides the pools.

Tell me what your favorite Poly activity is...what should we absolutely do or see?

I have seen some really good reviews on Kona...and we have never eaten there so I think we'll give that a try.

We talked about the dinner show but decided against it. Our kids are very big on spending LOTS of time in the parks and are not big eaters.

I can't answer your question because OUR first Poly trip is in December, but I'd love to hear when you get back what your kids enjoyed as I have kids of similar ages (challenging spread, isn't it?).

 

[Aristocath]

Can't answer your question - sorry! - because Sept will be our first trip to the Poly! I'd like to ask you a favor though - could you please post your opinion of club level after you return? We've booked CL, but are trying to decide whether or not to just switch to a regular room. TIA!

I find it interesting that so many people are on the fence about club level. We are staying club level in August for nine nights and I'll be happy to give you my review of it after our trip. But I will mention this to you now. My husband travels a lot for business and is gold/platinum/ club with a lot of different chains so we stay club/extra benefits(since not every hotel has a club level) all the time. I think people put too high expectations on club level and set themselves up for disappointment. A lot of the hotel chains are cutting back, not just Disney. We are getting less bang for our buck everywhere.

We are staying club at the Poly because we got the 40% off. We are happy to be able to use the lounge, especially for breakfast but don't consider it a meal replacement any other time. We've used the IPO to make some arrangements for us and this is one of the benefits of paying for club at Disney.

Having the experiences of "club" level at many different hotel chains, I would have changed our reservation to regular GV at Poly had we not gotten the discount. But with the discount, it still fit into our budget of what we had planned for our Disney vacation. Anyway, I hope that helps you in your decision.

As an aside, I am so excited. We fly out one month from today to spend three nights at the Doubletree before our Polynesian stay. We are visiting Harry Potter and Kennedy Space Center. If I can get through this very busy July with camps and my BIL's wedding I'll be in good shape!

 

[maiapapaya]

Hi everyone!

Our stay at the Poly (Hawaii bldg!) is less than a week away. Kids ages are 16, 15, and 7.

We have stayed there twice before, but never truly spent much time on the grounds besides the pools.

Tell me what your favorite Poly activity is...what should we absolutely do or see?

Our kids really enjoyed the sea racers. Your two oldest would be able to drive themselves, although according to the tikiman website they would have to have a licensed driver as a passenger. If you booked a package you should have received a coupon towards a rental with your travel documents.

Thank you, thank you for your advice - specifically to beautifultomorrow, Tess, maiapapaya and to mickey2minnie1!! We were able to extend our return flight by one day without cost and, because they had changed our flight time on us twice already, they also, with some pressure , gave us pre-assigned seats both ways. DH called yesterday to extend our stay by the additional day; I am...joy-filledl! Now, off to re-shuffle our schedule a bit to include the extra time! (I couldn't find a running guy..tiptoe will have to do.) Thanks again!

So glad you were able to change your flight. Have fun re-planning!

I'm excited today because I did a little looking through old posts over on the discount board and discovered that even if you don't get a flier in your room there is generally always a bounceback offered (call extension 8844!). I mentioned it to DH this morning and he agreed that if there is a good discount offered while we're there we should book not only a family trip at the Poly for 2011, but also a 10th anniversary trip for the two of us! We've already discussed the anniversary trip & would like to try GF CL TPV and a good bounce back would go a long way to making that happen!

 

[ZuZugal]

I can't answer your question because OUR first Poly trip is in December, but I'd love to hear when you get back what your kids enjoyed as I have kids of similar ages (challenging spread, isn't it?).

Can't answer your question - sorry! - because Sept will be our first trip to the Poly! I'd like to ask you a favor though - could you please post your opinion of club level after you return? We've booked CL, but are trying to decide whether or not to just switch to a regular room. TIA!

Yes, I will be happy to report on our trip when we get back. I know Tess has a great review on this thread just a few short pages back that I really enjoyed. We booked CL because of discount. Last time we stayed CL was about 8 years ago so I'm sure things have changed. We enjoy having the lounge available for drinks/snack when we are around, but we spend so much time in the parks that I don't expect to ever eat a "meal" there. My DH loves to have a few beers in the evening so that will be great for him. We do like using the IPO for ADR's, etc.

 

[ZuZugal]

I can't answer your question because OUR first Poly trip is in December, but I'd love to hear when you get back what your kids enjoyed as I have kids of similar ages (challenging spread, isn't it?).

Yes, the age spread can be challenging. We often end up dividing up once at the parks (after a few hours)...just ends up easier on everyone that way. Older 2 go off on their own together, or I go ride the big rides w/them because DH is not into the big rides so he takes DS7 on some "younger" rides. DS7 does take it all in stride though...he will ride almost anything just to keep up w/older siblings. Older 2 don't really enjoy dinosuar dig at AK though...DS7 could spend 2 hours there!

We all end up getting along better if we divide up for a while during the day...not sure if this is just our family or if others find it works out better too. Then we all sit and enjoy a meal together and start out together again for a while.

 

[ZuZugal]

Our kids really enjoyed the sea racers. Your two oldest would be able to drive themselves, although according to the tikiman website they would have to have a licensed driver as a passenger. If you booked a package you should have received a coupon towards a rental with your travel documents.



:

Sea racers are a great idea...thanks. I do remember getting those coupons now that you mention it. Might be a nice late-afternoon activity after being at the parks all day.

 

[maiapapaya]

Yes, the age spread can be challenging. We often end up dividing up once at the parks (after a few hours)...just ends up easier on everyone that way. Older 2 go off on their own together, or I go ride the big rides w/them because DH is not into the big rides so he takes DS7 on some "younger" rides. DS7 does take it all in stride though...he will ride almost anything just to keep up w/older siblings. Older 2 don't really enjoy dinosuar dig at AK though...DS7 could spend 2 hours there!

We all end up getting along better if we divide up for a while during the day...not sure if this is just our family or if others find it works out better too. Then we all sit and enjoy a meal together and start out together again for a while.

That's what we try to do too. My sister & her DH go with our DD18 & DD7 to hit the "big kid" rides while DH & I take DD5 for the more tame fare. We will then take DD7 back when they do the "really big kid rides" (RR & ToT). DH & I will also trade off a bit too so we can ride with our older girls. You're right, it makes things so much more enjoyable for the group if everyone can have the freedom & time to do their own thing.

 

[vinotinto]

I'm thinking that we will need a "Plan B" for days that it's too hot to stay in the parks and we may want to return to the room/resort early. Has anyone ordered room service for lunch? Was the quality good? How quickly was it delivered?!

TIA!

 

[916chipndale]

Hi everyone!

Our stay at the Poly (Hawaii bldg!) is less than a week away. Kids ages are 16, 15, and 7.

We have stayed there twice before, but never truly spent much time on the grounds besides the pools.

Tell me what your favorite Poly activity is...what should we absolutely do or see?

I have seen some really good reviews on Kona...and we have never eaten there so I think we'll give that a try.

We talked about the dinner show but decided against it. Our kids are very big on spending LOTS of time in the parks and are not big eaters.

my favorite activity is to sit on the beach and watch the electric water pageant and wishes. this year it will be the nightastic fireworks and i cant wait to see them.

 

[Tinkermom76]

Does anyone know who usually streams the fireworks live and if they are at the Poly right now?