ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: June 2013

[karriealex]

This post refers to Portofino Bay not the Poly

Why would they escort your son out? Was it close to closing time? Even then I'd be pissed..

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

It was about 9:30 and they closed at 10:00. He was very quite when he went in there. My son is a very meek kid. They just said to him "this is all we have left" and walked him back out of the lounge. There were still people in there. By the time they escorted him out we had rounded the corner and were on our way in. We were met at the door. The plate was sort of shoved at us. My dh took the 3 cookies, said Thank you, and the guy stepped back into the doorway and just stood there. It was sort of made known to us we were not welcome to come in. It was the most awkward feeling. It threw me so much I couldn't even really say anything until we were half way back to our room when I asked dh if we were just kind of barred from the lounge. He agreed we were. We had the same clothes on as everyone else and we are really a pretty quiet family. We keep to ourselves and are not rowdy or loud or anything like that. Really all we wanted to do was to get coffee and water for later that evening. My kids felt so awkward that the last morning we were there they both asked dh and I to get them another half glass of milk because they were afraid that something would be said to them.

 

[wilkeliza]

I never noticed the lack of a towel hook thingy. I just put my towel on the counter across from the shower, got out of the shower onto the mat and grabbed the towel. Never dawned on me that there should be one there.

I didn't notice the lack of a full length mirror either. Of course I am heavy set so I avoid looking in mirrors at all costs so the lack of one was kind of a plus for me. LOL

My son hung his swim suit over the shower curtain rod in the bathroom and it dried pretty fast.

I liked the frosted doors in the bathroom because I cannot sleep in a totally dark room and I could turn the bathroom light on, shut the door and it didn't effect my families sleep like having the TV on did.

Tinkerbellie16 we had an issue on check in also and got major attitude when I nicely called six hours later about our room. We kind of got attitude the whole time and sort of were made to feel like we didn't belong there. The topper was when they escorted our 19 year old son out of the CL lounge, walked the dessert out to us and then stood in the doorway of the lounge so that we could not pass to get in to get coffee, soda, or water. We were dress appropriately also. I was so taken aback I couldn't say anything. I said to dh yesterday that it wouldn't be a good idea for them to send me a survey because I would have to tell them what I really felt. LOL guess what I got today. I did tell them of our experience in all the different areas. I was not nasty but was very clear. I hope they take some of what I said into consideration for future guests.

I would say also send an email or hand written letter. The attitude and being made to feel I welcomed are not appropriate and is an issue that should be addressed directly. We had bad attitudes by CMs and front desk CMs that made us feel like we were an annoyance. When I tried to voice my displeasure with the service one guy even threatened my job since I'm a CM. Needless to say my group sent an email to Disney.

 

[Lita]

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!

We had no problems in May getting into Kona for lunch with no reservations. It seemed pretty dead at lunch. Not sure about August though.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[karriealex]

I would say also send an email or hand written letter. The attitude and being made to feel I welcomed are not appropriate and is an issue that should be addressed directly. We had bad attitudes by CMs and front desk CMs that made us feel like we were an annoyance. When I tried to voice my displeasure with the service one guy even threatened my job since I'm a CM. Needless to say my group sent an email to Disney.

I may just do this. Shouldn't be too hard to get the address for corporate for Lowes.

I am really sorry you were given such a hard time by your own people. That is just so wrong. We have been pleased every time we go to Disney with the CM's Thankfully we have never really had them be nasty, give us a hard time, treat us like we didn't belong or were an annoyance. Your job never should have been threatened just for voicing an opinion or displeasure. I hope your issues were handled to your satisfaction. I swear sometimes you give someone a little bit of power and it goes to their head. Guess he figured he couldn't treat a guest that way but he felt he could treat another CM poorly.

 

[karriealex]

We had no problems in May getting into Kona for lunch with no reservations. It seemed pretty dead at lunch. Not sure about August though.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

We were just there from the 4th to the 11th of August and even though the resort was packed we only waited a couple of minutes to get a table at Kona when we walked up for lunch. The food is really good too.

 

[mickeynut1]

I am really missing Disney and the Poly today. I guess when I get back from my appointment I will have to set up our December trip so I have something to look forward to and plan for. I think even though we will be going non-CL for that trip that it will be just as good because I will be at my beloved Poly. No matter where you go there everyone is just so nice and sweet. We have never run into a surly or nasty person there. I miss the Aloha's. I had to giggle at Portofino Bay. They kept saying Aloha Caio. LOL I guess we were in the Hawaiian section of Italy.

Have fun planning your December trip. We loved everything about our Poly stay, but I especially loved hearing "Aloha" every time we saw a CM .

I cannot wait for our stay in 23 days!!!

We just came home Monday night after 10 wonderful days at the poly. That was our longest yet. I am hoping to go next time for 11-12 days but next time won't be for at least 3 years, well minus the possible pit stop in April when we get off the auto train. And by pit stop, I mean no more then 3 hours. But I have from now until then to really decide if I want to get a dooney cell phone wristlet.

Thanks for your review .

 

[leannak]

Is it tough finding a spot on the beach for Wishes? Is it crowded? I gather it's a little tricky to find chairs. Do we need to camp out for a couple hours before-hand?

 

[Mr. Pig]

Is it tough finding a spot on the beach for Wishes? Is it crowded? I gather it's a little tricky to find chairs. Do we need to camp out for a couple hours before-hand?

We have been there the last few Octobers and the beach has not been overly crowded then. There were chairs available up to 15 minutes before the fireworks. Myself I enjoyed just standing or sitting on the sand. If you are there at a more crowded time it may be different but a couple of hours is way beyond necessary. Even an hour would be a long time unless you just want to relax on a lounge chair on the beach.

 

[karriealex]

We were just there and the resort was a least almost nearly completely booked. We were able to find chairs right up until about 15 minutes before iWishes started

 

[leannak]

You poly people are all so wonderful! Really - I am even more excited about our Poly stay just because the people on this thread are all so sweet and helpful!!! Thank you for letting me know we don't have to camp out all day to see Wishes from the beach!

And thank you for your advice on what to do when we first arrive and with the Grandparents and little girls around the resort!! This is going to be the vacation of a lifetime for my in-laws and I am BEYOND EXCITED (and feeling a little self-inflicted pressure) to make sure they are impressed with Disney World and have an amazing time! (As a side note, my little girls think we are staying an hour away and taking a bus to Disney World... they might not know what hit them.) (In-laws have NO idea about anything regarding Disney World and also no idea where we are staying.)

I think my inlaws would enjoy the live music at Mizner's lounge over at the Grand Floridian... but they're crazy about being with the kids and would be sad to drop them off at kid-care. Are children allowed at the lounge? We could go mid-afternoon or after dinner. I'm not sure if there is music mid-afternoon and I'm not sure children are welcome later in the evening.

And Tinkerbellie - I think we might have to try two Lapu Lapu drinks and one Island Sunset and one Backscratcher for the four of us upon arrival. The Lapu Lapu pineapples will make for memorable photos!!

I saw recently someone on these boards said the planning was as much fun as the trip. SO TRUE! I just told DH that I'm getting a whole 5 months of fun and the rest of them are only going to get a week!

 

[karriealex]

You could get a Dole Whip and tour around the resort. There are hula lessons but I am not sure what time they are. The grandparents might get a kick out of watching the kids do a lesson. At 6 PM there is the tiki lighting ceremony. I know when we went to the GF around 3 PM there was a man playing the piano. I am not sure though how much the kids would enjoy that. You could get a Lapu Lapu and sit by the pool and watch the kids do the pool games. The grand parents might like doing that especially if you rent a cabana. You can rent them for a half day. The cabana comes with fruit, water, a fan, TV,

I learned a lot from this thread and from the boards before we went on our last trip and I cannot tell you how much it helped make our trip a lot more special. Everyone here is so helpful, kind, and sweet.

 

[leannak]

You can't get the Lapu Lapu in a Pineapple at the pool though, right? I think I saw it's only available in the lounge (Kona Lounge? Not sure what it's called... ). We're going to need the pineapples.

 

[karriealex]

You can't get the Lapu Lapu in a Pineapple at the pool though, right? I think I saw it's only available in the lounge (Kona Lounge? Not sure what it's called now... ). We're going to need the pineapples.

You could get the Lapu Lapu in the pineapple at the Tambu Lounge and take it down to the pool. It isn't glass so I wouldn't think there would be a problem doing that.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

It was about 9:30 and they closed at 10:00. He was very quite when he went in there. My son is a very meek kid. They just said to him "this is all we have left" and walked him back out of the lounge. There were still people in there. By the time they escorted him out we had rounded the corner and were on our way in. We were met at the door. The plate was sort of shoved at us. My dh took the 3 cookies, said Thank you, and the guy stepped back into the doorway and just stood there. It was sort of made known to us we were not welcome to come in. It was the most awkward feeling. It threw me so much I couldn't even really say anything until we were half way back to our room when I asked dh if we were just kind of barred from the lounge. He agreed we were. We had the same clothes on as everyone else and we are really a pretty quiet family. We keep to ourselves and are not rowdy or loud or anything like that. Really all we wanted to do was to get coffee and water for later that evening. My kids felt so awkward that the last morning we were there they both asked dh and I to get them another half glass of milk because they were afraid that something would be said to them.

It is disheartening to hear this but glad to hear you let them know your feedback and continued to enjoy your vacation. Here's to looking forward to your December visit to Disney!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

You poly people are all so wonderful! Really - I am even more excited about our Poly stay just because the people on this thread are all so sweet and helpful!!! Thank you for letting me know we don't have to camp out all day to see Wishes from the beach!

And thank you for your advice on what to do when we first arrive and with the Grandparents and little girls around the resort!! This is going to be the vacation of a lifetime for my in-laws and I am BEYOND EXCITED (and feeling a little self-inflicted pressure) to make sure they are impressed with Disney World and have an amazing time! (As a side note, my little girls think we are staying an hour away and taking a bus to Disney World... they might not know what hit them.) (In-laws have NO idea about anything regarding Disney World and also no idea where we are staying.)

I think my inlaws would enjoy the live music at Mizner's lounge over at the Grand Floridian... but they're crazy about being with the kids and would be sad to drop them off at kid-care. Are children allowed at the lounge? We could go mid-afternoon or after dinner. I'm not sure if there is music mid-afternoon and I'm not sure children are welcome later in the evening.

And Tinkerbellie - I think we might have to try two Lapu Lapu drinks and one Island Sunset and one Backscratcher for the four of us upon arrival. The Lapu Lapu pineapples will make for memorable photos!!

I saw recently someone on these boards said the planning was as much fun as the trip. SO TRUE! I just told DH that I'm getting a whole 5 months of fun and the rest of them are only going to get a week!

We take our kids to GF and they love the band! Yes, kids can be in the lounge and at anytime. As our kids have gotten older, they enjoy walking around GF while we sit and visit but they always come to listen and DANCE to the band. I recommend their Bloody Mary and they have really unique apps too (or some free mixed nuts). Oh, you can also request songs from the band- they play a smooth Sinatra

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Here is a picture of part of the Tambu lounge drink menu and an island sunset-



And lapu lapus (that's me with the flower in my hair, DH is in the yellow, and those are friends of ours):



Regular cabana:





View from premium cabana-



View from Tokelau in a standard (yes, JUST standard!) room -

 

[karriealex]

Another Portofino Bay problem

I am so not a happy camper right now. I just looked at my bank account. The two charges for the Portofino Bay hotel are still pending as is the cost of the dinner still pending but the tip cleared for the waiter but NOT for the 17.00 we authorized but for 69.30!! They are SO getting a call from me today. I am furious!! They had better make this right or I will turn them into my bank for making fraudulent charges. I just called Portofino Bay and no one seems to know what this charge is. They have the restaurant manager and the parking manager calling me. The front desk manager says it is not them. I am cranked big time about this.

 

[leannak]

Tinkerbellie - thank you so much for the pictures!!! Those all help a ton - and the cabanas look fantastic! I might have to look into that. It would be nice to know the grandparents have a place to rest and my pale little kids would have shade to escape to.

Thanks for getting back to me about taking kids to Mizner's lounge too!

Karriesalex - sorry to hear about the charges - I hope you get it straightened out!

 

[monorailsilver]

You could get a Dole Whip and tour around the resort. There are hula lessons but I am not sure what time they are. The grandparents might get a kick out of watching the kids do a lesson. At 6 PM there is the tiki lighting ceremony. I know when we went to the GF around 3 PM there was a man playing the piano. I am not sure though how much the kids would enjoy that. You could get a Lapu Lapu and sit by the pool and watch the kids do the pool games. The grand parents might like doing that especially if you rent a cabana. You can rent them for a half day. The cabana comes with fruit, water, a fan, TV,

I learned a lot from this thread and from the boards before we went on our last trip and I cannot tell you how much it helped make our trip a lot more special. Everyone here is so helpful, kind, and sweet.

Can you see the whole pool from the cabana? I saw them and looked at them surrounded by the lush greenery and wondered. Sure the chairs are super comfy but my only concern would be watching the pool.

My kids are 12, 9 (almost 10) & 7. On our pool days since I was always up early, I made sure I was at the pool by 8-8:15 to get one of the tables by the slide. Dh and I could see the whole pool and could find the kids. I don't think I could do that with a cabana. Plus it was steps to get in the pool and to my spot next to the waterfall and I could see my stuff. Ahhh.. I miss that alone time at the pool. Monday it was just me in the pool for a good half hour.

I am so not a happy camper right now. I just looked at my bank account. The two charges for the Portofino Bay hotel are still pending as is the cost of the dinner still pending but the tip cleared for the waiter but NOT for the 17.00 we authorized but for 69.30!! They are SO getting a call from me today. I am furious!! They had better make this right or I will turn them into my bank for making fraudulent charges. I just called Portofino Bay and no one seems to know what this charge is. They have the restaurant manager and the parking manager calling me. The front desk manager says it is not them. I am cranked big time about this.

Oh no...

 

[bluejasmine]

I am so not a happy camper right now. I just looked at my bank account. The two charges for the Portofino Bay hotel are still pending as is the cost of the dinner still pending but the tip cleared for the waiter but NOT for the 17.00 we authorized but for 69.30!! They are SO getting a call from me today. I am furious!! They had better make this right or I will turn them into my bank for making fraudulent charges. I just called Portofino Bay and no one seems to know what this charge is. They have the restaurant manager and the parking manager calling me. The front desk manager says it is not them. I am cranked big time about this.

Now remember that pending doesnt mean they will go through, when the transaction is finished there is a good chance it will go away entirely! Just keep checking on it and once its finished youll know if you need to call or not!