ALOHA! The Poly FAQ~ Spring 2010 Edition

[dizneechic]

There was a bounce-back offer in our room but we did not use it.

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

Did you happen to notice what the bounceback was? I'm curious if they have updated it yet to include early 2011.

 

[ZuZugal]

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

Did you happen to notice what the bounceback was? I'm curious if they have updated it yet to include early 2011.

45% off Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort stay (gives dates through the end of Sept 2010)
40% off Select Disney Deluxe Resort stay (gives dates through the end of Dec 2010)
dial ext 8846 from guest room or call 407-541-5554 before checkout

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Even with swim diapers there is no guarantee that the poop is going to be contained. Two different times at our pool, the poop floated out of the diaper.

We have only used the pool at the Poly once. We are always either at a park, or napping. No time for the pool.

No time for the pool Ok, everyone is different but me and my family LOVE the pool time. AT least a couple of hours every day. Or they swim and I watch and drink.

Third floor vs patio? Anyone care to tell me why they prefer a LV/TPV room on the third floor? Does the railing get in the way of the view when sitting down?

While I don't book rooms with a view, I always preferred a top floor room with a balcony so I didn't hear anyone above us. One time, they put me in a patio room and I loved it! So now I ask for those instead. The reason is that there is more 'room' to move around on your patio since you can stroll on the grass. And the kids will use it as a door to the room (as long as someone is still in the room because you can't lock the glass door from the outside that I know of.)

Best new technology - I have Verizon so downloaded the Disney Mobile Magic app. $9.99. Gave us wait times on rides, whether FP's were available, park hours, etc. We used it numerous times a day.

Sad to see it go - DS7 liked to ride in the front car of monorail with the driver whenever we could. We were told they no longer do that and noticed that no one was ever in the front car but the driver.

If anyone has any questions please let me know. We had another great Poly stay! There was a bounce-back offer in our room but we did not use it.

Thank you so much for the report! I really wish Disney would release that application for the iPhone

And that is so sad that they no longer have folks in the front car of the monorail. I'm glad we took part in that when they allowed it. Although I can understand them wanting to stop it after the monorail crash last year

 

[SeaSpray]

OK guys here goes! We are back and I am now rested so this is my Poly CL report:

We arrived around 11:30am at the Poly via DME. No luggage since DME would deliver it later that day. checked in at the desk out front and they called for CL. They said it would be about 5 or 10 min wait so we decided to walk to the Hawaii bldg. We were greeted and told our room was ready. (rm 1513). Great view of castle (though we only paid for lagoon view.)

Welcome back! We were in 1516 (also lagoon view) last week and had an excellent view of the castle (and the rest of the lagoon).

We grabbed a bite from the lounge and headed to MK.

Now, I am not good at describing the offerings in the lounge. Breakfast was the same almost daily. Steel-cut oatmeal is THE BEST and i ate it almost every morning. They also had fruit, cereal, juices and the rolls/muffins/croissants varied by the day. Daily "snack" offerings were cookies, goldfish, pretzels, gummy sharks, Late evening offerings varied by the day as well (usually 3 items were out); small cupcakes, brownies, stuff like that. Besides wine and beer they have their own version of Sangria which was great. (they set out a pitcher during dinner.)

I LOVE the sangria!!

Dinner offerings mostly had an "Asian" flavor...dumplings, pot stickers bbq, egg rolls, teriyaki pork. They put out 2 "main" offerings every night. 2 nights they also had a small salad. They put out fruit, cheese, crackers, hummus & pita bread every night. The first 4 night the chef was very young (don't remember his name) but he was so sweet and talked to us every night. He played baseball in college so he and my DS17 who plays baseball talked often. Last few nights the chef was older and he didn't really speak to us unless we spoke to him and even at that he only answered direct questions. Oh well...

Was the younger chef named Anthony? We saw him several times last week and he was very nice and to me it seemed as if he were very concerned about presenting the food in the lounge properly and in an appealing manner. We didn't see an older chef, but he might've been there on the nights that we weren't. I hope they keep Anthony at the Polynesian.

I am so glad we did not do the dining plan. Since it was hot while we were there we just didn't have much of an appetite (kids included) and we snacked on the CL offerings if we were at the resort. We only had 3 sit-down meals in 8 days; Yak and Yeti, Crystal Palace, and T-Rex.

We watched Nightastic from either the beach or our room if we were at the resort and LOVED doing it that way! Only saw it at MK once.

We watched Nightastic from our patio and while swimming in the volcano pool. It was great!! (So many reasons to love this resort...lol)

We found all of the CM's very helpful in the CL, though honestly we did not use them for much. My kids (age 7 to 17) enjoyed having the ducks outside of our room every day. They even named many of them. My DS17 named the big one Thor (those of you who have been there recently know which one I mean).

We had the visiting ducks, too. We got a kick out of watching them, and one of them almost tried to get into our room. LOL

The pool was crowded, and I thought the parks were crowded as well but we haven't been in the summer for quite a long time. We love the ambiance of the Poly...could not imagine staying at GF or Contemporary.

I so agree....

We did not get a rental car; used dis transport only. Walked to TTC almost daily. Longest wait for a bus was coming home from DTD one evening; waited maybe 25 mins.

I used the laundry 3 times (afternoon) which was never busy.

I pre-paid for the photopass cd ($99) and am still putting borders, etc on pics but am glad we used photopass this time around. I figure $99 for 75 pics on a CD is fair.

I wish I had prepaid for the photopass CD. We ended up using it more than we thought we would (especially with DSs with us, I wanted more family shots) and DS19 and his DGF had their own photopass card and they used it a TON. Poor DGF lost her camera in the airport on the way home (they were both so upset...and I/We made a ton of calls, but to no avail...) so they're ordering the CD, and with the 20% discount on the card, it'll still cost $120. Next time, we're pre-ordering!

Our family made blankets in February for the Give-a-day promotion so we each had a GAD certificate. I decided we should use those for fast-passes since we were going at a busy time. I cannot tell you what a difference those made in our trip. We each got 6 extra fast-passes (to be used on 2 dif categories of rides) for 5 days. AND when we went to will call at MK to trade in one of the GAD certificates we were asked to be in the volunteer parade that day at 3pm! My DS7 was so excited. It was HOT riding in the parade but fun too. That was a new experience for us for sure!

Good for you!!!!

Best new dining exp. - we had never been to Yak and Yeti before and there was something for everyone in my family. We all enjoyed that meal.

New Experience - napping in a hammock at the Poly with DH. Have stayed there before but never napped in a hammock. I highly recommend it!!

We did this for the first time too... ah, what a feeling, so relaxing... LOL

Best new technology - I have Verizon so downloaded the Disney Mobile Magic app. $9.99. Gave us wait times on rides, whether FP's were available, park hours, etc. We used it numerous times a day.

Sad to see it go - DS7 liked to ride in the front car of monorail with the driver whenever we could. We were told they no longer do that and noticed that no one was ever in the front car but the driver.

I agree; we used to do this when DSs were younger, and would've liked to have done it on this trip, because DS's DGF has never experienced it.

If anyone has any questions please let me know. We had another great Poly stay! There was a bounce-back offer in our room but we did not use it.

I'm so glad that you had a great trip!!!

 

[bluejasmine]

45% off Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort stay (gives dates through the end of Sept 2010)
40% off Select Disney Deluxe Resort stay (gives dates through the end of Dec 2010)
dial ext 8846 from guest room or call 407-541-5554 before checkout

I like those! Hope they are offered in Sept I dont want FD

 

[sandym718]

Even with swim diapers there is no guarantee that the poop is going to be contained. Two different times at our pool, the poop floated out of the diaper.

We have only used the pool at the Poly once. We are always either at a park, or napping. No time for the pool.

You're right. That's why when my kids wore swim diapers, if they hadn't already gone recently, I kept a VERY close eye on them. If I had even an inkling that they were getting ready or starting to go - out of the pool they were. The swim diapers are not made to hold the poop in while the kid continues to swim around for an hour! We never had an issue. I'd actually try to time swims after they'd go so I wouldn't need to worry as much. I would DIE if the pool had to be closed for us.

 

[taylor3297]

No time for the pool Ok, everyone is different but me and my family LOVE the pool time. AT least a couple of hours every day. Or they swim and I watch and drink.

Our neighborhood pool is right by our house, so we spend a lot of time at the pool. Granted the Poly has the volcano slide, but my kids swim so often, going to the pool isn't that big of a deal.

 

[Tess]

Word. I mean, this is for a GARDEN VIEW!!!!! Not club, not theme park view, but Garden View. I can't believe that anyone would pay that much for a room.

Your GV weekend rate is higher than our GV CL rate for this year--lots higher. In fact, I believe that the $540 was the rack for GV CL a few (maybe only two?) years ago. I'll have to look that up later. . .all I can say is Wow, just wow--that price is ridiculous for GV.

 

[bluejasmine]

AC fixed and only $150 lighter! THANK GOD! So as soon as AC guy left I called and upgraded to CL! I am so excited!!

 

[woodleygrrl]

Your GV weekend rate is higher than our GV CL rate for this year--lots higher. In fact, I believe that the $540 was the rack for GV CL a few (maybe only two?) years ago. I'll have to look that up later. . .all I can say is Wow, just wow--that price is ridiculous for GV.

Yeah. For our whole trip last year, same amount of time but with basic dining plan and park hopper tickets we paid about $4000.00. That was with the 40% off code. There is no way that I will pay more than that for a WDW vacation. They have now met my limit. So I am hoping that they are just fooling with me and the 40% off rate will magically appear and we can put our happy rears in the hammocks on the Poly beach in march. otherwise it is a-dolphin we will go!

Jennifer

 

[dizneechic]

45% off Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort stay (gives dates through the end of Sept 2010)
40% off Select Disney Deluxe Resort stay (gives dates through the end of Dec 2010)
dial ext 8846 from guest room or call 407-541-5554 before checkout

Thanks! Still hoping for Jan 2011 bouncebacks to come soon... or at least before our checkout date of 8/30!

Gotta do a little happy dance - just booked our rental car today. I've been hemming and hawing, $495 rack rate but can get it for $195 through BJs wholesale (member rate) which was great but didn't feel pressured yet. Just checked online and got a city special for 142, color me booked and now need to cancel our ME ressies!

 

[TheNewMrsB]

AC fixed and only $150 lighter! THANK GOD! So as soon as AC guy left I called and upgraded to CL! I am so excited!!

AWESOME!

 

[ZuZugal]

Thanks! Still hoping for Jan 2011 bouncebacks to come soon... or at least before our checkout date of 8/30!

Gotta do a little happy dance - just booked our rental car today. I've been hemming and hawing, $495 rack rate but can get it for $195 through BJs wholesale (member rate) which was great but didn't feel pressured yet. Just checked online and got a city special for 142, color me booked and now need to cancel our ME ressies!

Good for you with the rental! It always feels great when you get a good rate or discount...I know it makes my day.

We were happier w/ME this time than other times...no lines to speak of and no crowded motor coaches either. And no prob's w/luggage at any point. When we used ME 2 yrs ago and stayed CSR 2 pieces of our luggage were delivered to someone else's room. It took hours to work that out.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

AC fixed and only $150 lighter! THANK GOD! So as soon as AC guy left I called and upgraded to CL! I am so excited!!

That's good news that the AC wasn't that expensive (and you got it fixed!) Congrats on CL!!!

Thanks! Still hoping for Jan 2011 bouncebacks to come soon... or at least before our checkout date of 8/30!

Gotta do a little happy dance - just booked our rental car today. I've been hemming and hawing, $495 rack rate but can get it for $195 through BJs wholesale (member rate) which was great but didn't feel pressured yet. Just checked online and got a city special for 142, color me booked and now need to cancel our ME ressies!

What is up with the incredibly high rates in Orlando for rental cars??? I noticed that as well. Even my week in Alaska last month was cheaper than a week in Orlando So that is very cool you got such a great rate!!!

 

[dizneechic]

Actually we were hoping to go rental free and I was VERY excited to try DME for the 1st time (I'm a rental car snob, have never done Disney without) but in the end and having my stomach churn over the logistics to get to HS, AK, & DTD I just couldn't give up the freedom. It will probably stay parked 95% of the time and that's OK, but knowing we have it to take if we want just makes me a WHOLE lot happier!

And I SOO agree with the outrageous rates for rentals in Orlando. I usually joke that we can drive back/fourth and spend in gas & tolls what it would cost to rent a car for the week AND save on the airfare. It's just the loss of days in travel we haven't been ready to give up, so suck it up and get the extra time to spend w/ Mickey.

 

[iloveeeyore]

I just checked in on-line! WooHoo! Now I feel like we're already on vacation. Ten days, but only 5 more work shifts to go!!

 

[Chelley00]

Help!

I've read and read and read, and I just don't know which longhouse to request. What a surprise, huh

I'm taking my mom and youngest 2 kids (age 8 and 5) to Disney in October.

DM today decided she wants to stay at the Poly. (yay for me!!) This is her first trip to Disney, actually, her first vacation ever, so I really want things to be perfect (and easy) for her. The balcony is a must have. I want a longhouse close to a monorail stop or the TTC, but also convenient to the pool and a beach area. Would Fiji be a good choice as long as we ask for a 1st or 3rd floor? Or does someone recommend something else? (Somoa, Tuvalu)

Any thing else you would tell a first time Poly stayer?

 

[maiapapaya]

Help!

I've read and read and read, and I just don't know which longhouse to request. What a surprise, huh

I'm taking my mom and youngest 2 kids (age 8 and 5) to Disney in October.

DM today decided she wants to stay at the Poly. (yay for me!!) This is her first trip to Disney, actually, her first vacation ever, so I really want things to be perfect (and easy) for her. The balcony is a must have. I want a longhouse close to a monorail stop or the TTC, but also convenient to the pool and a beach area. Would Fiji be a good choice as long as we ask for a 1st or 3rd floor? Or does someone recommend something else? (Somoa, Tuvalu)

Any thing else you would tell a first time Poly stayer?

I would definitely recommend Tuvalu if you are booked TPV. It is very close to the GCH, beach & volcano pool. It does not have balconies on the second floor, so that is a risk with requesting the longhouse. If you are booked GV I would not ask for Tuvalu. Although I haven't stayed in one the views did not appear to be great on the GV side of the building (you're basically looking dead on to Figi, and from a very short distance).

If you're booked GV I've heard Figi has lovely views on both sides of the building, although, again, you do run the risk of getting second floor with no balcony.

Hope this helps? Good luck deciding!

 

[taylor3297]

I would definitely recommend Tuvalu if you are booked TPV. It is very close to the GCH, beach & volcano pool. It does not have balconies on the second floor, so that is a risk with requesting the longhouse. If you are booked GV I would not ask for Tuvalu. Although I haven't stayed in one the views did not appear to be great on the GV side of the building (you're basically looking dead on to Figi, and from a very short distance).

If you're booked GV I've heard Figi has lovely views on both sides of the building, although, again, you do run the risk of getting second floor with no balcony.

Hope this helps? Good luck deciding!

Yep, what she said.

 

[rezmommy]

I would like to know how I go about pre-ordering the photopass CD. I noticed that someone posted that they pre-ordered the CD for $99. On the photopass site the CD is listed as 145.99 with a special of 15.00. I am interested in doing the photopass but really don't know where to start.

I have been planning our first trip to WDW for about six months. My husband and I have kept it a secret from our kids the whole time. Well tomorrow is the day that we tell them because we leave on Wednesday. I am just so excited I just can't wait to see their little faces when they hear the news. We have never been on a plane either so this just adds to the excitement.

Keeping a secret from DD9, DS5 and DD4 has not been easy but I just love the excitement. I can't wait to get to the Poly and experience all the great things that I have read about.