ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: June 2013

[mickeynut1]

Hi All! Well, I finally got the photos off my camera so I thought I'd do a mini trip review. I'm gonna break this up into a few posts. This one will be some pics of our room.

So, overall we loved the room and the Poly!!!

Love the pics....thanks for sharing . We are booked GV CL in December and seeing your pics and the view from your room is making me want to change to TPV . Glad you had a great stay and enjoyed the Poly .

Hey all we are home. I do have to say the Poly really spoiled us. We did club level at Portofino Bay and it was nothing like the Poly. Just mine and my dh's opinion but they seem to nickle and dime you even at club level. It is not a place we will stay again. The boys had a great time at Universal although it was blistering hot. We found that there wasn't really anything I could ride. If we do Universal again we will drop the boys off for the day and then go pick them up. I have to say the statement "This sure isn't like the Poly" came out of both dh's and my mouth on more than one occasion. Even the staff were not as nice as at the Poly. We got attitude on more than one occasion. Now I know two different theme parks and two different owners of resorts but they would do well by taking notes from Disney. Please don't flame me for my views on Portofino Bay but it's our experience and opinion and may not be the experience or opinion of others.

I'm sorry you didn't really care for Portofino Bay, but glad you gave it a try.....now you know it's not for you . Glad your boys had fun at Universal.

I have tons of pictures I need to figure out how to download and post. I even took pictures of things people ask questions about like the kinds of coffees and the type of machine in the CL lounge. I tried to think of everything while I was taking pictures.

Can't wait to see your pics .

 

[BrdwayBoy]

What is everyone's 2nd favorite resort?

Animal Kingdom Lodge is my personal number 1!

 

[karriealex]

Love the pics....thanks for sharing . We are booked GV CL in December and seeing your pics and the view from your room is making me want to change to TPV . Glad you had a great stay and enjoyed the Poly .



I'm sorry you didn't really care for Portofino Bay, but glad you gave it a try.....now you know it's not for you . Glad your boys had fun at Universal.



Can't wait to see your pics .

That is exactly how I am looking at it. It was a learning experience and you never know until you try something. We could not believe how hot it got. The first day at Universal it was 96 degrees out. Waiting for the boat there was a little girl who was rather whiny. Her dad picked her up and I heard her cough and thankfully quickly moved my wheelchair up because she puked all over her dad, the ground and the lady next to my dh who had moved up to the spot I had been in. I felt so badly for the little girl. I think a lot of parents tend to go commando because of the cost and forget about how the heat is effecting the kids. We saw a lot of heat exhaustion mainly in kids. The second day it was just about as bad heat wise. It was 95. I am very careful and even I was being effected and got sunburned. Both dh and I agreed that next year we will probably vacation earlier in July. Every step of the way on this trip we learned little things that will make next year even better than this year. This year was wonderful though. We had a great vacation.

 

[karriealex]

I am really worried about my little puppa. She keeps making this honking noise. She is fine one minute then she starts breathing in and out and kinda honking almost a little like a choking sound. She has done it several times in the last 15 minutes. Dh says it's nerves and that she is sort of freaking out a bit. She has been panting all day and that is a sign of nerves in her. The vet said she was fine when we picked her up. I am just worried. The vet wants to spay her on Thursday and I am not so sure I am okay with this in light of what is going on tonight. He was really pushing it today and wanted to keep her to do it. He is concerned she will go into heat. I am unsure if not doing it before then would be bad or not and is something I am going to talk to him about in the morning. I just think she needs a few days to calm down from us being away. Next trip she is coming with us and we will board her at Disney. This way we can go over and see her daily. I think being away from us for such a long time is too taxing on her. She is a tiny little thing and very nervous.

 

[karriealex]

I don't know if this is at all Disney resorts but I saw something at the Poly that made me smile and actually tear up a bit. I saw how much Disney really cares about their disabled guests. I was down by the pool one night taking pictures and noticed this neat chair that goes into the pool for people who cannot walk, or have difficulty controlling muscle movements etc.. It just touched me that they thought of them and made something available so that they too could enjoy the pool. I have never seen this at any other hotel. It was at both pools also. I just thought it was special

 

[bluejasmine]

I don't know if this is at all Disney resorts but I saw something at the Poly that made me smile and actually tear up a bit. I saw how much Disney really cares about their disabled guests. I was down by the pool one night taking pictures and noticed this neat chair that goes into the pool for people who cannot walk, or have difficulty controlling muscle movements etc.. It just touched me that they thought of them and made something available so that they too could enjoy the pool. I have never seen this at any other hotel. It was at both pools also. I just thought it was special

They had these at the pools on Disney cruises as well

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[mickeynut1]

That is exactly how I am looking at it. It was a learning experience and you never know until you try something. We could not believe how hot it got. The first day at Universal it was 96 degrees out. Waiting for the boat there was a little girl who was rather whiny. Her dad picked her up and I heard her cough and thankfully quickly moved my wheelchair up because she puked all over her dad, the ground and the lady next to my dh who had moved up to the spot I had been in. I felt so badly for the little girl. I think a lot of parents tend to go commando because of the cost and forget about how the heat is effecting the kids. We saw a lot of heat exhaustion mainly in kids. The second day it was just about as bad heat wise. It was 95. I am very careful and even I was being effected and got sunburned. Both dh and I agreed that next year we will probably vacation earlier in July. Every step of the way on this trip we learned little things that will make next year even better than this year. This year was wonderful though. We had a great vacation.

I can imagine how hot it was. We've been in both June and July but never August, and needless to say on our July trip, we spent a lot of time at the pool.....so I can see August being a bit more hot/humid. Glad you had a great vacation. Enjoy planning your upcoming December trip .

I am really worried about my little puppa. She keeps making this honking noise. She is fine one minute then she starts breathing in and out and kinda honking almost a little like a choking sound. She has done it several times in the last 15 minutes. Dh says it's nerves and that she is sort of freaking out a bit. She has been panting all day and that is a sign of nerves in her. The vet said she was fine when we picked her up. I am just worried. The vet wants to spay her on Thursday and I am not so sure I am okay with this in light of what is going on tonight. He was really pushing it today and wanted to keep her to do it. He is concerned she will go into heat. I am unsure if not doing it before then would be bad or not and is something I am going to talk to him about in the morning. I just think she needs a few days to calm down from us being away. Next trip she is coming with us and we will board her at Disney. This way we can go over and see her daily. I think being away from us for such a long time is too taxing on her. She is a tiny little thing and very nervous.

I hope she's going to be ok.

 

[karriealex]

I can imagine how hot it was. We've been in both June and July but never August, and needless to say on our July trip, we spent a lot of time at the pool.....so I can see August being a bit more hot/humid. Glad you had a great vacation. Enjoy planning your upcoming December trip .



I hope she's going to be ok.

My puppa is better today but now we are worried about our cat. He is feline leukemia and feline aids positive and I just noticed he has a nasty sore on the bottom of his foot from the cage he was in. I am not a happy camper about this. We are bringing him back to the vet as we were warned that if he gets a sore we are to do this. They had better not charge us to see him as it came from him being boarded there. When I called I got the we looked him over and he was fine speech but I told her unless he was laying down when they looked him over they would not have seen it. Just bothers me that he got a sore from being boarded. This should not happen. That cage should have had a blanket down in it or something and apparently it did not. I will think twice about boarding him there again even if it is our vet.

 

[swmal]

Crazy question. Can you get beer or wine in club level before 5 pm?

 

[bluejasmine]

Crazy question. Can you get beer or wine in club level before 5 pm?

Yea you just have to ask, DH will ask when we go to the pool in the afternoons..

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

 

[mirage0306]

Crazy question. Can you get beer or wine in club level before 5 pm?

Oh heck yes. Just ask!

 

[yolie912]

Yea you just have to ask, DH will ask when we go to the pool in the afternoons..

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

Good to know...I never knew that I am staying CL next month and now i know... Thanks!

 

[DznyCrzy11]

My puppa is better today but now we are worried about our cat. He is feline leukemia and feline aids positive and I just noticed he has a nasty sore on the bottom of his foot from the cage he was in. I am not a happy camper about this. We are bringing him back to the vet as we were warned that if he gets a sore we are to do this. They had better not charge us to see him as it came from him being boarded there. When I called I got the we looked him over and he was fine speech but I told her unless he was laying down when they looked him over they would not have seen it. Just bothers me that he got a sore from being boarded. This should not happen. That cage should have had a blanket down in it or something and apparently it did not. I will think twice about boarding him there again even if it is our vet.

Aw, I hope your cat is ok! Yes, they should be putting something down in the cage for them. The vet I use, while they don't board, I wish they did, they put a blanket down in the cage, they take such great care of the little animals! We are very blessed to have my husbands sister living just a few miles away, and she loves animals. I feel so much better leaving my dogs with her rather than a kennel, my one dog Bubbles would not have done well being boarded, she had really bad separation anxiety. I couldn't even leave her at the vet by herself!! It will be almost 4 months since she passed away, she was 15.
:'(

Does your dog have more of a flat face? That could be part of the reason she was making that noise, combined with her nerves. Bubbles was a little Shih-Tzu/Pekinese mix and her face was flatter like a Pekinese. She would make that noise quite a bit if she got excited and sometimes after she would eat which would always scare me because I didn't know if the food was stuck. One time she did get a treat stuck so rushed her to the vet ER, of course she was perfectly fine when I got there but I had her checked out anyways. My Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix will also do that but he has a lot of allergies.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[leannak]

OK so today I'm just daydreaming about our trip to the Poly. We've only been to Disney World once, and we stayed off-site. This time we're bringing our 3 little girls and their grandparents - the grandparents have NEVER been to Disney World. Our first day we'll get in about 1pm and have nothing going on except Chef Mickey's at 6:30 and then hopefully watching fireworks from the beach. Sooo.... any advice from you Poly veterans about what we should do when we get there? We're going all out and on the Deluxe Dining Plan, so I'm thinking those snack credits will be burning a hole in our pockets and we ought to head straight for the Dole Whip machine after we get settled in our rooms. (I've never had one but they sound great - and Poly-like. ) And then maybe a dip in the pool if it's warm enough? (We'll pack our suits etc. in our carry-ons.) Is there any certain spot I should make sure and walk the grandparents through? Should we head straight for the beach to get a glimpse of the castle? Are there really flower Leis? Do I need to request these? Should I take them to the bar (I think there's a bar?) for a tropical drink? I just really want to wow my sweet in-laws with a fantastic vacation.

 

[CT Disney]

Good Morning Everyone! I hope you're in the mood for a review and some pics from the Poly CL Lounge

I have to say, we thought the Poly CL Lounge was awesome! The only other CL we have stayed at was YC and from a lot of perspectives the Poly blew it away.

First off...ambiance. The view from the lounge is amazing! We found ourselves wanting to sit in the lounge and relax a lot, as opposed to YC where it was just a 'dine and run' kind of feeling. There was ample, comfortable seating. I have to say, the lounge was quite busy the week we were there. I believe the Hawaii building was completely booked up. Some days it was difficult to find a seat, but we always managed.

Here are a few pictures of the view from the lounge. These pictures were taken on a cloudy day and they do not do the beautiful view justice:



Check out the rainbow!:



When we stayed YC CL in April one of the CMs gave us a tip. He told us that during the evening appetizers it gets most crowded when the lounge first opens up at 5:00 and then again right before they take the hot appetizers away, around 6:30. The times in between are much less crowded. This tip seemed to hold up at the Poly too. Here are a few pics taken one evening at 6:00 -



The third floor:



I do want to touch on a few instances of bad behavior we saw during our week on CL. I tell you, people never fail to amaze me.

There was one man who put his bare feet up on the same comfy chair every morning during breakfast. Ick, I don't want to look at the bottom of your dirty bare feet while I eat!

Another time there was a 'gentleman' who came into the lounge during evening appetizers with just a bathing suit on, dripping wet, no shirt. My DH commented to me, "Nothing like serving yourself some Boursin cheese next to a hairy, wet, half-naked man." Funny...but not!

We also observed a woman who let her 3-year-old continually go up to the food and help himself by touching all the food with his bare hands. The poor CMs tried numerous times to 'help' him to prevent him from touching the food. I also saw the CMs had to take away a number of plates of food that he had touched. I did ask one of the CMs what they do about behavior like this, as it was quite obvious and a number of other guests seemed annoyed. She said that if they notice the behavior on more than one occasion or if another guest complains, they will address it. This was the 2nd day I had noticed this family exhibiting the same problems, and needless to say, the problem 'went away' as soon as I spoke to the CM.

One our last evening there, we did notice a family of 5 take more plates of food to their table than I have seen on most Thanksgiving tables. A crazy amount of food! After we ate our appetizers, we went up to the room to rest for an hour before heading out to a park. When we passed through the lounge an hour later, this family was still there, still helping themselves to mountains of food. Yikes!

Needless to say...we just shrugged at most of this behavior. Like I said, people never fail to amaze me!

I did try to get some pictures of the food, but in all honesty, most days it was really busy, especially at breakfast time. I didn't want to hold the line up to let the crazy lady take pictures! I did get a few pictures during the evening apps though. Since this post is getting a little long....let me post my pics in a separate post...Stayed tuned...more to come...

 

[DznyCrzy11]

OK so today I'm just daydreaming about our trip to the Poly. We've only been to Disney World once, and we stayed off-site. This time we're bringing our 3 little girls and their grandparents - the grandparents have NEVER been to Disney World. Our first day we'll get in about 1pm and have nothing going on except Chef Mickey's at 6:30 and then hopefully watching fireworks from the beach. Sooo.... any advice from you Poly veterans about what we should do when we get there? We're going all out and on the Deluxe Dining Plan, so I'm thinking those snack credits will be burning a hole in our pockets and we ought to head straight for the Dole Whip machine after we get settled in our rooms. (I've never had one but they sound great - and Poly-like. ) And then maybe a dip in the pool if it's warm enough? (We'll pack our suits etc. in our carry-ons.) Is there any certain spot I should make sure and walk the grandparents through? Should we head straight for the beach to get a glimpse of the castle? Are there really flower Leis? Do I need to request these? Should I take them to the bar (I think there's a bar?) for a tropical drink? I just really want to wow my sweet in-laws with a fantastic vacation.

I think you all will have a fantastic time!! Are you eating lunch before you get there? If not, you could try Kona Cafe and then get a Dole Whip from Capt Cooks on the way outside, or eat at Capt Cooks for QS. I would definitely take some time to enjoy the pool/beach area. The CM's should give each of you a leis when you check in. They are artificial flowers. You can wear the leis if you choose. I always wear mine from the point of check-in until we get to our room. There is a bar located on the 2nd floor next to Ohana and one outside next to the pool. Definitely try the Lapu Lapu, it's the drink they serve in the pineapple!!

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[leannak]

Definitely try the Lapu Lapu, it's the drink they serve in the pineapple!!

Thank you for telling me about this!! Sounds like a riot - and I googled it... apparently the Lapu Lapu is the *IT* drink at the Polynesian Resort. I might have to have my husband grab a couple of these for MIL and me. He and his dad would probably favor a beer. Can we wander around with these - bring them to the beach, etc.? Or do you need to drink them in the bar itself?

I am undecided on if we'll eat a full lunch. Our flight lands at 11:30 or something like that. I am hoping to get to the resort maybe by 1:30? That puts us in pretty late for lunch with our 6:30 CM reservation. I was thinking we'd just grab some snacks with our snack credits to tide us over. But Kona Cafe looks fantastic. If we get in early enough and are hungry, will we likely be out of luck with no reservation for Kona Cafe? I'd rather do TS than CS, just since that's what our credits are for and with CS and 3 kids, I do more running around serving than eating. Either that, or if someone has any recommendations on good snacks we can get at the poly with our credits, DO TELL!

 

[CT Disney]

OK...Here is my feedback and some pics of the Poly CL Food...

Breakfast was very nice! Cereals were Fruit Loops, Special K, Raisin Bran and Corn Flakes. Most mornings they served Bagels, Cinnamon Rolls, Croissants, or a combination thereof. There was always fresh fruit, juice and Nescafe (ick) coffee.

I found the mid-day snacks to be more varied than what they served at YC CL. We saw a combination of the following items during the 8 days we were there: spicy mixed nuts, gummi bears, jelly beans, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, popcorn, goldfish, and chocolate covered almonds.

Whole fruit and soda (Coke Products) was out all day:





If you ask for beer any time of day they will bring it to you without issue Perfect for taking down to the pool, although you must transfer the beer to a non-glass container.

Another tip, this one for the kids...if you ask any of the CMs they will bring you chocolate milk...the good high-octane stuff...Nesquik in the plastic bottle! It's never in the cooler, you have to ask for it!

And, speaking of kids' items, this was the one area where I was a bit disappointed. Most nights the only kids item out was mini corn dogs. On two or three nights they had PB&J out instead. Those were they only kid-specific items we saw all week during the evening appetizers. Considering that Disney is a kid-centric kind of place, I do wish they would provide more options for the kids who are not adventurous eaters. Just my opinion. Here is a pic of the (almost gone!) PB&J:



Overall, we thought the food during the evening apps was quite good. However, we didn't find it all that much different than what YC served. A little too much fried, phyllo dough type stuff in our opinion. However, they did have a few nights without fried items. These included spicy meatballs, pork skewers, sushi, and sticky wings. All of these items were great!

I did manage to snag a few pictures during evening apps when it wasn't really busy. Here you go...

Beef Wellington AND Guava & Almond Empanadas:



Fresh Cut Fruit AND Crackers with the following types of cheese: Wensleydale with Cranberries, Havarti with Jalapeno Peppers, Boursin



Another pic of the fresh cut fruit and cheese and crackers. This time you can also see the caramel sauce on the left and a cold Asian salad on the far right:



Pita Bread and Sundried Tomato Hummus:



California Sushi Roll, Vegetable Sushi Roll and Wasabi:



The beers: Heineken, Yuengling, Bud Light and Longboard:



So, we loved Poly CL and would definitely stay there again!

Wishes from the lounge was great! They did dim the lights to cut down on the reflection off the windows.

And, finally, I have to give a huge shout-out to all the CL CMs. They were all so friendly and welcoming! A special nod to Ivette...she was spectacular...a true gem!

Any CL questions...ask away!

 

[leannak]

Thank you for the pictures, CT Disney!! LOVE THEM!!! You lucky ducky with the gorgeous theme park view and CL! Thank you for sharing!!!!

 

[DreamnDisney]

Just read tikiman's post on fb that construction could start at the poly next month! Hope it doesn't interfere with my October stay!! ;(