ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: January 2012

[pas130]

Carl, I'm waiting with baited breath for another live feed from the Premium Cabana! I can't wait to see it! I've still got 6 months to pine for that beach front property. :-(

Carl's live feed was AMAZING!!!!

LOL, long story. (Isn't it always though) It went from Ft. Wilderness in June, to Disneyland in June, to DL in June AND WDW in December, to POR in September, now the Poly in September. I was ok with being at the POR, I was, but then everyone on that thread started talking Poly talk because so many of them were upgraded because of the Royal Room fiasco. Which led me back here to this thread, which lead me to change. Again. LOL. Last trip there was no room at the Poly for us, this time there was, so I jumped on it. We don't know the fate of the military discounts after September, so I'd better jump on it while I can.

You cannot beat the 40%....no way. YOU HAVE TO DO POLY DH is going too? Or just you and Kass? The last I remember it was all three of ya, right?

 

[crostorfer]

Carl's live feed was AMAZING!!!!

You cannot beat the 40%....no way. YOU HAVE TO DO POLY DH is going too? Or just you and Kass? The last I remember it was all three of ya, right?

Still working on if it will be all three of us. The hubs never knows if he is going to have to deploy until the last minute. In that sense, I guess our trip is always subject to extreme and irrational changes. I just broke the news to him this morning that we're booked to go back in September. No word yet back from him as to if his reaction will be a or a . He wants to go back, he talks about it almost every day, but actually being booked to do so may scare him a bit due to expense.

I chose this time because I want to attempt the Tower of Terror 10-Miler on the 28th, and Food and Wine starts early this year. The past two years we have always been leaving on the 1st day so it will be nice to have a couple of days to use all of those extra snack credits.

LOL, I'll update you over on the RC'er's board if I have to change anything by th end of the day.

 

[pas130]

Still working on if it will be all three of us. The hubs never knows if he is going to have to deploy until the last minute. In that sense, I guess our trip is always subject to extreme and irrational changes. I just broke the news to him this morning that we're booked to go back in September. No word yet back from him as to if his reaction will be a or a . He wants to go back, he talks about it almost every day, but actually being booked to do so may scare him a bit due to expense.

I chose this time because I want to attempt the Tower of Terror 10-Miler on the 28th, and Food and Wine starts early this year. The past two years we have always been leaving on the 1st day so it will be nice to have a couple of days to use all of those extra snack credits.

LOL, I'll update you over on the RC'er's board if I have to change anything by th end of the day.

We have to remind DH how happy he was there shopping with DD (it was the last day or two when it happened right?) I will pray he can come too Very cool you are doing the ToT marathon

 

[kimberwee]

Alright so we paid off the trip yesterday and now I am just counting down the days!
Those of you discussing cabanas should get a kickback from Disney because it made me want to call and reserve one (not Premium) for our pool day. You guys are good!!!

 

[MushLRC]

Speaking of the cabana's .... Is there a link to information on these or do you have to call and speak to the resort?

TIA

 

[disneydreamin247]

Speaking of the cabana's .... Is there a link to information on these or do you have to call and speak to the resort?

TIA

The info is on the first page of this thread.

 

[Stasieki]

I’ve been back for a few weeks now, but figured I would post a little review of my first Poly stay. It truly was a magical vacation and the Poly was wonderful. I didn’t think we would use the pool area much, but that was some of our favorite times. The slide was closed, but the kids didn’t seem to care. We enjoyed relaxing on the beach, drinking out tropical drinks, while the kids played pool games with the counselors. And, watching Wishes from the beach is as great as everyone says. I wish we would have done it every night.

We were garden view and got all our requests… Tokeleu, 3rd FL, connecting room with our friends. We were close to the elevator. I liked only having one sink. There just seemed to be much more room. The rooms were clean and in pretty good working order and had tons of space. There was a lot of wear and tear (faucet falling off in shower and sink handle hard to work), but those things didn’t bother me. We got zero towel animals which kind of was disappointing, but I still left daily tips. I think I had a high anticipation for this because we got over loaded with them last year at POR so the kids loved it. Of course, that didn’t ruin our trip either.

We didn’t care for the Ohana Breakfast, but loved the dinner. I thought Captain Cooks could have more choices, but being so small must be the issue. We did encounter one rude CM our first night at Captain Cooks. She was very annoyed at us asking questions – it is quite confusing at first. And since you all are talking coffee… the stuff in the room is nasty, but I got the Kona coffee at the coffee bar so all was good. My friend got the mocha and paid $6.00 for a Dixie cup – it was pretty funny.

All the other CM’s there were wonderful!!!!! A front desk one even gave my daughter 4 pins after some fell off her lanyard in the parking lot and we couldn’t find them.

I'm dreaming of the day I will be back

 

[204charity]

I’ve been back for a few weeks now, but figured I would post a little review of my first Poly stay. It truly was a magical vacation and the Poly was wonderful. I didn’t think we would use the pool area much, but that was some of our favorite times. The slide was closed, but the kids didn’t seem to care. We enjoyed relaxing on the beach, drinking out tropical drinks, while the kids played pool games with the counselors. And, watching Wishes from the beach is as great as everyone says. I wish we would have done it every night.

We were garden view and got all our requests… Tokeleu, 3rd FL, connecting room with our friends. We were close to the elevator. I liked only having one sink. There just seemed to be much more room. The rooms were clean and in pretty good working order and had tons of space. There was a lot of wear and tear (faucet falling off in shower and sink handle hard to work), but those things didn’t bother me. We got zero towel animals which kind of was disappointing, but I still left daily tips. I think I had a high anticipation for this because we got over loaded with them last year at POR so the kids loved it. Of course, that didn’t ruin our trip either.

We didn’t care for the Ohana Breakfast, but loved the dinner. I thought Captain Cooks could have more choices, but being so small must be the issue. We did encounter one rude CM our first night at Captain Cooks. She was very annoyed at us asking questions – it is quite confusing at first. And since you all are talking coffee… the stuff in the room is nasty, but I got the Kona coffee at the coffee bar so all was good. My friend got the mocha and paid $6.00 for a Dixie cup – it was pretty funny.

All the other CM’s there were wonderful!!!!! A front desk one even gave my daughter 4 pins after some fell off her lanyard in the parking lot and we couldn’t find them.

I'm dreaming of the day I will be back

Great report! I too am wondering how much time we will actually spend by the pool. We have one full day planned with a cabana rental (our check-out day actually) but other than that, we don't really have any scheduled pool time. Although with a 9 year old in tow, and coming from the freezing cold North, we will probably LOVE to be on the beach in our swimsuits drinking yummy tropical drinks too!!

 

[Venomhatch]

Great report! I too am wondering how much time we will actually spend by the pool. We have one full day planned with a cabana rental (our check-out day actually) but other than that, we don't really have any scheduled pool time. Although with a 9 year old in tow, and coming from the freezing cold North, we will probably LOVE to be on the beach in our swimsuits drinking yummy tropical drinks too!!

Yeah I agree, we went to the pool maybe once the entire time there. It was nice, but would have been better if the slide was open. Yeah we actually enjoyed the beach a bit while there. Loved the Lapu Lapu and Island Sunsets.

 

[MikeRx]

Shameless ticker check:
We made our final payment today on our newly minted Disney Premiere Visa so we get a $200 gift card, 2% back on Disney and other stuff (roughly $100 for this payment alone) and 1% on general stuff. We will also purchase annual passes and a TIW card when we enter Epcot for our dinner reservation the first night (flying from Arizona we arrive in the early evening… darn time zones). With several additional trips to WDW planned over the next year we should do well with the rewards.

We are truly excited to be staying at the Poly and want to thank everyone for the updates, tips and help planning this and future trips!

Mike DW DS (4) DMIL
first trip 1976, multiple off sites in between , last WDW BC CL 2/2010 and DL Grand Cali 12/2010, next trips 7/2012 (off site), 4/2013 with cruise, 12/2013

 

[dogsmom]

I’ve been back for a few weeks now, but figured I would post a little review of my first Poly stay. It truly was a magical vacation and the Poly was wonderful. I didn’t think we would use the pool area much, but that was some of our favorite times. The slide was closed, but the kids didn’t seem to care. We enjoyed relaxing on the beach, drinking out tropical drinks, while the kids played pool games with the counselors. And, watching Wishes from the beach is as great as everyone says. I wish we would have done it every night.

We were garden view and got all our requests… Tokeleu, 3rd FL, connecting room with our friends. We were close to the elevator. I liked only having one sink. There just seemed to be much more room. The rooms were clean and in pretty good working order and had tons of space. There was a lot of wear and tear (faucet falling off in shower and sink handle hard to work), but those things didn’t bother me. We got zero towel animals which kind of was disappointing, but I still left daily tips. I think I had a high anticipation for this because we got over loaded with them last year at POR so the kids loved it. Of course, that didn’t ruin our trip either.

We didn’t care for the Ohana Breakfast, but loved the dinner. I thought Captain Cooks could have more choices, but being so small must be the issue. We did encounter one rude CM our first night at Captain Cooks. She was very annoyed at us asking questions – it is quite confusing at first. And since you all are talking coffee… the stuff in the room is nasty, but I got the Kona coffee at the coffee bar so all was good. My friend got the mocha and paid $6.00 for a Dixie cup – it was pretty funny.

All the other CM’s there were wonderful!!!!! A front desk one even gave my daughter 4 pins after some fell off her lanyard in the parking lot and we couldn’t find them.

I'm dreaming of the day I will be back

Glad you had a wonderful time. Have to admit that your mention of the plumbing issues gives me concern. Yours is the second post I have read re the plumbing at the Poly. One poster mentioned a toilet not working that they had to have fixed. I realize that the Poly is beginning to show her age. We have stayed at WL, AKL and CR, but never the Poly and we have always wanted to and so I booked for Dec. a CL room. I am wondering if spending the extra money for a CL room is going to be worth it if the room is going to have issues. I don't mind spending money as long as it is well spent. I realize that a lot of people have an emotional attachment to a particular resort. But if it wasn't Disney, would you spend that much money for a room that had a faucet falling off in the shower?

 

[Stasieki]

Glad you had a wonderful time. Have to admit that your mention of the plumbing issues gives me concern. Yours is the second post I have read re the plumbing at the Poly. One poster mentioned a toilet not working that they had to have fixed. I realize that the Poly is beginning to show her age. We have stayed at WL, AKL and CR, but never the Poly and we have always wanted to and so I booked for Dec. a CL room. I am wondering if spending the extra money for a CL room is going to be worth it if the room is going to have issues. I don't mind spending money as long as it is well spent. I realize that a lot of people have an emotional attachment to a particular resort. But if it wasn't Disney, would you spend that much money for a room that had a faucet falling off in the shower?

I know what you mean. I would think the CL rooms are kept up at a more rapid pace. Or I would hope so. I will say I did think about the Ritz Carlton we stayed at 10 years ago on Mauii for our honeymoon. You wouldn't dare find those types of issues. And it is half the price (granted 2001 prices) I know I could have said something and not sure why I didn't.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Glad you had a wonderful time. Have to admit that your mention of the plumbing issues gives me concern. Yours is the second post I have read re the plumbing at the Poly. One poster mentioned a toilet not working that they had to have fixed. I realize that the Poly is beginning to show her age. We have stayed at WL, AKL and CR, but never the Poly and we have always wanted to and so I booked for Dec. a CL room. I am wondering if spending the extra money for a CL room is going to be worth it if the room is going to have issues. I don't mind spending money as long as it is well spent. I realize that a lot of people have an emotional attachment to a particular resort. But if it wasn't Disney, would you spend that much money for a room that had a faucet falling off in the shower?

I personally wouldn't sweat the small stuff. Not sure I would classify those as plumbing issues.....more like deferred maintenance. Every resort(every hotel for that matter) is going to have issues that need maintenance. Every guest that comes thru treats the room....differently. You never know if the guests before you were mild-mannered gentle souls or drunken slobs getting into brawls. Don't worry about it

As far as CL level goes.....only you can make the determination if it is "worth the money" as it is subjective. If you are looking to get your money's worth out of CL you are probably setting yourself up for disappointment. I believe it is more of a convenience/service/location factor. The rooms are exactly the same as the others at the Poly (with the exception of being smaller than the newer buildings) You are getting the location on the lagoon accross from the castle and next to the pools, the services of the concierge planning staff, and snacks/lite eating fare as a convenience. Personally, I have never stayed CL at any resort as I do not find the value or desire the service/convenience/location of such. Many swear by it and it has value to them...works for their vacation style.

So jealous you get to go in December and see all the decorations! Enjoy

 

[carlnix30]

Speaking of the cabana's .... Is there a link to information on these or do you have to call and speak to the resort?

TIA

To book the cabanas you need to call 1-407-939-7529 (1-407-WDW-PLAY) they will ask for a credit card (to hold reservation) but will not charge the card. The first page has some pictures and descriptions and there are a lot of great Poly veterans here that can answer your questions if the need arises. I have some pics of the premium cabana if you would like me to post them. I know Tinkerbelle16 has photos of the cabana from her last stay.

 

[carlnix30]

Carl, I'm waiting with baited breath for another live feed from the Premium Cabana! I can't wait to see it! I've still got 6 months to pine for that beach front property. :-(

I think I have the go ahead for another live feed from the premium cabana. So get ready. 85 more days!

Carl's live feed was AMAZING!!!!

Awe.. Thank you very much! I am really glad you guys enjoyed that!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Tinkerbellie! I finally got my pic to load, this is my daughter. Sorry the picture is so large.

She is so lovely! I'm glad you got it to post! It does look like my daughter and yours could be related!

I deal with people all day every day at work. Meetings.. Meetings... Meetings...
So if we rented the regular cabana I would feel obligated to talk to my neighbor. After all we are sharing a private piece of the Poly. I would rather just chill in privacy. I wouldn't mind a dis-meet but I don't want to hang with another family all day.

Meetings.... I'm in them ALL the time. 8 - 12 hours a day. I'm a PM and this project is finally winding down after 2.5 years. I'm actually traveling right now and asked my boss what's next. He said he knows I don't want to travel so much so he offered me Asia or Latin America So I told him I'm taking a LONG vacation in July to Disneyworld and to count me out for that time. And he's sending me to a conference in Orlando in May But no Poly this year...yet...I've booked DL, CBR, CSR, and BWV. Wait, I thought I wasn't going to travel as much

Well, that was totally

I’ve been back for a few weeks now, but figured I would post a little review of my first Poly stay. It truly was a magical vacation and the Poly was wonderful. I didn’t think we would use the pool area much, but that was some of our favorite times. The slide was closed, but the kids didn’t seem to care. We enjoyed relaxing on the beach, drinking out tropical drinks, while the kids played pool games with the counselors. And, watching Wishes from the beach is as great as everyone says. I wish we would have done it every night.

We were garden view and got all our requests… Tokeleu, 3rd FL, connecting room with our friends. We were close to the elevator. I liked only having one sink. There just seemed to be much more room. The rooms were clean and in pretty good working order and had tons of space. There was a lot of wear and tear (faucet falling off in shower and sink handle hard to work), but those things didn’t bother me. We got zero towel animals which kind of was disappointing, but I still left daily tips. I think I had a high anticipation for this because we got over loaded with them last year at POR so the kids loved it. Of course, that didn’t ruin our trip either.

We didn’t care for the Ohana Breakfast, but loved the dinner. I thought Captain Cooks could have more choices, but being so small must be the issue. We did encounter one rude CM our first night at Captain Cooks. She was very annoyed at us asking questions – it is quite confusing at first. And since you all are talking coffee… the stuff in the room is nasty, but I got the Kona coffee at the coffee bar so all was good. My friend got the mocha and paid $6.00 for a Dixie cup – it was pretty funny.

All the other CM’s there were wonderful!!!!! A front desk one even gave my daughter 4 pins after some fell off her lanyard in the parking lot and we couldn’t find them.

I'm dreaming of the day I will be back

I love reviews - thank you for posting! I feel the same way about one sink in Tokelau - I like the space! And I have received a total of one towel animal in my 4 stays at the Poly and that was something in the room when we checked in. I was pretty astounded at WLV last year when I received 2 towel animals during one stay!

Great report! I too am wondering how much time we will actually spend by the pool. We have one full day planned with a cabana rental (our check-out day actually) but other than that, we don't really have any scheduled pool time. Although with a 9 year old in tow, and coming from the freezing cold North, we will probably LOVE to be on the beach in our swimsuits drinking yummy tropical drinks too!!

My DH requests 'beer and a pool' for any vacation. And my kids are fishes so we schedule in pool time every day. We go in the afternoon for a few hours (between our morning and evening parks) and then again in the late evening. But it all depends on your family's vacation style. We are also ok spending hours at the pool since we've been to Disney a few times and don't feel we have to see everything each time we go.

Yeah I agree, we went to the pool maybe once the entire time there. It was nice, but would have been better if the slide was open. Yeah we actually enjoyed the beach a bit while there. Loved the Lapu Lapu and Island Sunsets.

So glad you tried the Island Sunset! I really enjoyed that one on our last vacation

Okay, I guess I should log off. The guy in the room next to me has his TV so loud though that I'm trying to keep myself occupied so I don't pound on his door. I wonder how loud I can turn up my TV until hotel management yells at me

 

[JVP1]

Okay, I guess I should log off. The guy in the room next to me has his TV so loud though that I'm trying to keep myself occupied so I don't pound on his door. I wonder how loud I can turn up my TV until hotel management yells at me

I stayed at the Poly 2 years ago w/ my girlfriend and all our daughters.
I woke up in the middle of the night to the guy next door snoring so incredibly
loud I have no patience for that since I have to deal w/ it every night with hubby and he had stayed home for this trip. Soooo much to my girlfriends surprise, I called the guys room and hung up when the guy answered. Stopped the snoring

 

[Venomhatch]

I stayed at the Poly 2 years ago w/ my girlfriend and all our daughters.
I woke up in the middle of the night to the guy next door snoring so incredibly
loud I have no patience for that since I have to deal w/ it every night with hubby and he had stayed home for this trip. Soooo much to my girlfriends surprise, I called the guys room and hung up when the guy answered. Stopped the snoring

Too funny... I would have done the same thing.

 

[padawans]

Shameless ticker check:
We made our final payment today on our newly minted Disney Premiere Visa so we get a $200 gift card, 2% back on Disney and other stuff (roughly $100 for this payment alone) and 1% on general stuff. We will also purchase annual passes and a TIW card when we enter Epcot for our dinner reservation the first night (flying from Arizona we arrive in the early evening… darn time zones). With several additional trips to WDW planned over the next year we should do well with the rewards.

We are truly excited to be staying at the Poly and want to thank everyone for the updates, tips and help planning this and future trips!

Mike DW DS (4) DMIL
first trip 1976, multiple off sites in between , last WDW BC CL 2/2010 and DL Grand Cali 12/2010, next trips 7/2012 (off site), 4/2013 with cruise, 12/2013

We live in Az also. I can relate to the time zone. We can never get to WDW before 5pm and we always take the 6am flight. Enjoy your annual passes this year. We bought them last May, and have made 4 trips with them.

Did your just get a Disney premium Visa or did you get those perks for upgrading? I got the offer to upgrade in the mail and they were offering 5% cash back I don't remember a gift card offer. I haven't decided if I am going to upgrade or not.

 

[cassiopia419]

Leaving for the airport in 2 hours for our very first WDW trip! We should arrive at the Poly around 7pm and can't wait to see the room and which longhouse we end up in.