ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: June 2013

[karriealex]

I am going to keep checking but I don't hold out much hope since we are using a Florida Resident Rate.

 

[Masonmj84]

I read this today and now I'm really torn about whether we need to change our May 2014 reservation to another hotel. Bummed because we were really looking forward to the Poly. Thoughts?

http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/news/225-future-plans

I'm planning a trip for May of 2014 and am concerned about this as well.

Right now, we're all in a "wait and see" mode.

For me, it's probably going to come down to the extent and magnitude of the construction. For example, I'm not too bothered by the projected DVC construction in and around the Tahiti longhouse (including on the beach in front of it) because that will mostly be out of sight of the main resort areas.

The other construction rumors (e.g., Volcano Pool and GCH) are much more worrysome.

In that regard, if the additional construction only includes the Volcano Pool, I'm on the fence. In that case, whether we keep our reservation will likely depend on how much the construction detracts from the ambiance (in that case, Poly guests will still have access to the "quiet" pool and almost certainly be allowed to use the pools at the GF - but there's still an ambiance detraction and hassle factor here).

Moreover, if there is also significant construction at the GCH, I fear the detraction to the ambiance will be too much to justify the high price to stay at the resort (even with substantial discounts). And if the GCH construction includes either 'Ohana or Kona being closed, it would be an absolute deal breaker.

 

[jdd]

Two days 'til we check into Poly CL!

Awesome!! Two weeks from today for us

If you don't mind, could you just post about how crowded the lounge is? We've been there twice before, but they were both off peak times (last week of August and last week of September), and the lounge was never crowded. I'm just a little nervous about how it will be during busy season. TIA

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Two days 'til we check into Poly CL!

If anyone wants pics of anything, just let me know! I love taking pictures! I may not post them until we are back though. I am going to make a conscious effort to disconnect from electronics on this trip. I always laugh when the four of us are in the living room and we all have our faces buried in some kind of electronic device.

The goals for this trip are quality time together and relaxation!!

(OK...I may check on the Disboards just a few times while we are there...)

And we check in tomorrow! I guess we'll see ya there!!

WOOOO HOOOO I am so excited for you!! Have a safe and magical trip!!

Thank you!

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Two days 'til we check into Poly CL!

If anyone wants pics of anything, just let me know! I love taking pictures! I may not post them until we are back though. I am going to make a conscious effort to disconnect from electronics on this trip. I always laugh when the four of us are in the living room and we all have our faces buried in some kind of electronic device.

The goals for this trip are quality time together and relaxation!!

(OK...I may check on the Disboards just a few times while we are there...)

Yes Pictures Please! I would love to see more of the food and drink that they offer. Have a wonderful time. We are 52 days out before we check in to the CL so seeing your pictures will help me through.

 

[karriealex]

I'm planning a trip for May of 2014 and am concerned about this as well.

Right now, we're all in a "wait and see" mode.

For me, it's probably going to come down to the extent and magnitude of the construction. For example, I'm not too bothered by the projected DVC construction in and around the Tahiti longhouse (including on the beach in front of it) because that will mostly be out of sight of the main resort areas.

The other construction rumors (e.g., Volcano Pool and GCH) are much more worrysome.

In that regard, if the additional construction only includes the Volcano Pool, I'm on the fence. In that case, whether we keep our reservation will likely depend on how much the construction detracts from the ambiance (in that case, Poly guests will still have access to the "quiet" pool and almost certainly be allowed to use the pools at the GF - but there's still an ambiance detraction and hassle factor here).

Moreover, if there is also significant construction at the GCH, I fear the detraction to the ambiance will be too much to justify the high price to stay at the resort (even with substantial discounts). And if the GCH construction includes either 'Ohana or Kona being closed, it would be an absolute deal breaker.

I was told today by IPO who spoke directly to the marina who oversees the pool rehabs that the volcano pools rehab has been cancelled indefinitely. I think as far as the

GCH is concerned they will probably do this in small steps as to not inconvenience the guests too much.

 

[macgarson]

I'm planning a trip for May of 2014 and am concerned about this as well.

Right now, we're all in a "wait and see" mode.

For me, it's probably going to come down to the extent and magnitude of the construction. For example, I'm not too bothered by the projected DVC construction in and around the Tahiti longhouse (including on the beach in front of it) because that will mostly be out of sight of the main resort areas.

The other construction rumors (e.g., Volcano Pool and GCH) are much more worrysome.

In that regard, if the additional construction only includes the Volcano Pool, I'm on the fence. In that case, whether we keep our reservation will likely depend on how much the construction detracts from the ambiance (in that case, Poly guests will still have access to the "quiet" pool and almost certainly be allowed to use the pools at the GF - but there's still an ambiance detraction and hassle factor here).

Moreover, if there is also significant construction at the GCH, I fear the detraction to the ambiance will be too much to justify the high price to stay at the resort (even with substantial discounts). And if the GCH construction includes either 'Ohana or Kona being closed, it would be an absolute deal breaker.

Totally agree. The only thing I would add is that the Poly rate is steep, and I hesitate to pay full price for a resort undergoing construction in significant areas of the resort (ie GCH and pool). But I've never heard of WDW offering a reduced rate based on construction, unlike non-WDW vacation destinations.

 

[CT Disney]

Awesome!! Two weeks from today for us

If you don't mind, could you just post about how crowded the lounge is? We've been there twice before, but they were both off peak times (last week of August and last week of September), and the lounge was never crowded. I'm just a little nervous about how it will be during busy season. TIA

Yes Pictures Please! I would love to see more of the food and drink that they offer. Have a wonderful time. We are 52 days out before we check in to the CL so seeing your pictures will help me through.

No problem to both of these things!!

And, to those who wished safe travels...thank you, and right back at 'ya!

 

[momtobrynncess]

Totally agree. The only thing I would add is that the Poly rate is steep, and I hesitate to pay full price for a resort undergoing construction in significant areas of the resort (ie GCH and pool). But I've never heard of WDW offering a reduced rate based on construction, unlike non-WDW vacation destinations.

So, here's something funny. Long story short, Disney did actually offer a discounted rate (or what I remember to be a discounted rate) at GF during construction in like 1998 or 1999 I think. Maybe someone out there remembers this too?

It was one of my first two or three trips as an adult, since I started going in 1997. I remember receiving a post card in the snail mail (obviously no email promos back then) offering a discounted rate, since the property was undergoing refurbishment. Now, I was not the "expert" I am now, and I didn't even know you could look for or ask for discounts. I knew nothing about value seasons, regular seasons, peak seasons, etc. I just remember thinking, "Wow!! A chance to stay at GF at a discounted rate!!" We jumped on it. It was my first time there. The construction was right outside our room, our view was definitely impacted, and it was very noisy. Again, if I remember correctly, the discounted rooms were only offered for a small portion of the resort-the area most affected by the noise I assume.

So, somehow I doubt this type of thing would occur again, but it was nice to experience it once.

 

[mrskirk]

Sorry in advance, as I am sure that the answer to these questions are somewhere. There is just so much to skim through here and the search function isn't really producing great answers .

We have currently paid in full for a Contemporary TPV room (5 nights) at the end of October. With the rumors of free dining spreading for that time, I will be calling to hopefully add it to our reservation (woo hoo for saving $700 ). I know that they might not have the free dining for our TPV room, so I am looking ahead at other options/resorts. We love the Poly and have been two times before. So here are the questions:

1) Do you think that construction at the Poly for the DVC will start then at the end of October? If so, how bad will it be and where is it rumored to start?

2) We might just go with standard view and add another night. What should I request if we make our reservations? Best standard view, location, longhouse?

Thanks so much in advance!!!

 

[DznyCrzy11]

Sorry in advance, as I am sure that the answer to these questions are somewhere. There is just so much to skim through here and the search function isn't really producing great answers .

We have currently paid in full for a Contemporary TPV room (5 nights) at the end of October. With the rumors of free dining spreading for that time, I will be calling to hopefully add it to our reservation (woo hoo for saving $700 ). I know that they might not have the free dining for our TPV room, so I am looking ahead at other options/resorts. We love the Poly and have been two times before. So here are the questions:

1) Do you think that construction at the Poly for the DVC will start then at the end of October? If so, how bad will it be and where is it rumored to start?

2) We might just go with standard view and add another night. What should I request if we make our reservations? Best standard view, location, longhouse?

Thanks so much in advance!!!

The Poly would be a great choice!!

1) From my understanding, there will not be any construction going on the end of Oct. Rumor is, the construction is suppose to start in Dec or Jan. Also, it's rumored that they are converting one of the longhouses into a DVC, no longer builder a new building for DVC.

2) If you go with standard view, I can recommend Fiji. That is the only longhouse we have stayed in, we request it every time. Fiji marina side is great!! You have a view of the back of the volcano, marina, and GCH. It's right next to GCH so it's very convenient, it's also a short walk to the boat launch. You really can't go wrong with any of the longhouses.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[BigTex71]

Acccck having a really rough time with a decision we made. We are staying at the Poly for seven days. My dh then announced that he got two more days off and suggested Universal which my boys jumped at. I booked it but I am not happy. I want to stay at the Poly the whole time. There really is nothing much that I can do with my back, neck, and motion sickness from simulators at Universal. The moving also bothers me. I would just rather stay at the Poly, stay relaxed, and then go home rather than moving across the city for a two day stay.

We added two days to our planned Disney trip. We stayed the first two days at the Royal Pacific at Universal. We just checked in to the Poly today. We learned that, for our family at least, we are better off just staying the whole time at Disney. I wold have loved to add the two days at the Poly, but my room discount was only good for a maximum of 7 nights - and that is what we already had booked. I couldn't justify (read: afford) the two extra days at the Poly.

 

[mickeynut1]

Two days 'til we check into Poly CL!

Have a great time

I spoke with IPO today who had spoken to the marina who deals with the pool refurb and all refurb on the volcano pool has been cancelled indefinitely.

Thanks for this information .

Awesome!! Two weeks from today for us

And we check in tomorrow!

Have a great trip .

We are 52 days out before we check in to the CL so seeing your pictures will help me through.

It will be here before you know it .

We might just go with standard view and add another night. What should I request if we make our reservations? Best standard view, location, longhouse?

We stayed in Samoa and loved the location. We found it to be very convenient to everything as it was just steps from the GCH, volcano pool, the beach, and Captain Cooks .

We just checked in to the Poly today.

Have a great time and enjoy the Poly .

 

[BigTex71]

So, we checked in this morning! We arrived very early (we were ready to leave the Royal Pacific and start our 'real vacation, as my wife said.) We arrived around 7:30 am and our room wasn't ready. They offered us to check another room, but they said the room we had assigned was nice and we may want to consider waiting for it. (I booked GV, but a friend of a friend put in a request for me for this room, apparently.) So we decided to leave our luggage with bell services and head to Magic Kingdom.

We made rope drop at MK, and after riding practically everything in Fantasyland and then a few in Tommorowland, we decided to take a break and see if our room was ready - even though I had not received a text message yet. The room wasn't ready and I had a different CM. He said he could check for another room that was available and I said that was fine. As he was calling to check, he also told me the room we had assigned was a nice room (3rd floor Samoa overlooking the Volcano pool) and we might consider waiting (it was around 2pm by this time.) I took this as a sign and waited. We went to bell services and got our swim suits out of of luggage and went to the Volcano pool for about 45 minutes. After that, our room was ready. We went to check it out. As we walked down the hall towards the room, I noticed some apparent finishing touches still being done on a few rooms on the floor. I was told the room was the newest renovated room on the property, but I assumed hey meant it was just one of he new renovated rooms. No, I think they meant it literally!

This is our first stay at the Poly (we usually stay moderates) and I love this place! The redone rooms look awesome and my wife was impressed with the large bathroom. I am looking forward to 7 more days of awesome!

We had a working fridge and I requested a microwave - which they brought down within minutes. The service is great here and everyone is so friendly. I have a feeling we will forever be spoiled by this resort and will have a tough time going back to a moderate resort the next time.

 

[mickeynut1]

So, we checked in this morning! We arrived very early (we were ready to leave the Royal Pacific and start our 'real vacation, as my wife said.) We arrived around 7:30 am and our room wasn't ready. They offered us to check another room, but they said the room we had assigned was nice and we may want to consider waiting for it. (I booked GV, but a friend of a friend put in a request for me for this room, apparently.) So we decided to leave our luggage with bell services and head to Magic Kingdom.

We made rope drop at MK, and after riding practically everything in Fantasyland and then a few in Tommorowland, we decided to take a break and see if our room was ready - even though I had not received a text message yet. The room wasn't ready and I had a different CM. He said he could check for another room that was available and I said that was fine. As he was calling to check, he also told me the room we had assigned was a nice room (3rd floor Samoa overlooking the Volcano pool) and we might consider waiting (it was around 2pm by this time.) I took this as a sign and waited. We went to bell services and got our swim suits out of of luggage and went to the Volcano pool for about 45 minutes. After that, our room was ready. We went to check it out. As we walked down the hall towards the room, I noticed some apparent finishing touches still being done on a few rooms on the floor. I was told the room was the newest renovated room on the property, but I assumed hey meant it was just one of he new renovated rooms. No, I think they meant it literally!

This is our first stay at the Poly (we usually stay moderates) and I love this place! The redone rooms look awesome and my wife was impressed with the large bathroom. I am looking forward to 7 more days of awesome!

We had a working fridge and I requested a microwave - which they brought down within minutes. The service is great here and everyone is so friendly. I have a feeling we will forever be spoiled by this resort and will have a tough time going back to a moderate resort the next time.

Sounds like a great start to an amazing Poly stay . It's not hard to get spoiled by such an awesome resort. Enjoy the next 7 days relaxing at the Poly in your "new" room .

 

[Cobern]

So, we checked in this morning! We arrived very early (we were ready to leave the Royal Pacific and start our 'real vacation, as my wife said.) We arrived around 7:30 am and our room wasn't ready. They offered us to check another room, but they said the room we had assigned was nice and we may want to consider waiting for it. (I booked GV, but a friend of a friend put in a request for me for this room, apparently.) So we decided to leave our luggage with bell services and head to Magic Kingdom.

We made rope drop at MK, and after riding practically everything in Fantasyland and then a few in Tommorowland, we decided to take a break and see if our room was ready - even though I had not received a text message yet. The room wasn't ready and I had a different CM. He said he could check for another room that was available and I said that was fine. As he was calling to check, he also told me the room we had assigned was a nice room (3rd floor Samoa overlooking the Volcano pool) and we might consider waiting (it was around 2pm by this time.) I took this as a sign and waited. We went to bell services and got our swim suits out of of luggage and went to the Volcano pool for about 45 minutes. After that, our room was ready. We went to check it out. As we walked down the hall towards the room, I noticed some apparent finishing touches still being done on a few rooms on the floor. I was told the room was the newest renovated room on the property, but I assumed hey meant it was just one of he new renovated rooms. No, I think they meant it literally!

This is our first stay at the Poly (we usually stay moderates) and I love this place! The redone rooms look awesome and my wife was impressed with the large bathroom. I am looking forward to 7 more days of awesome!

We had a working fridge and I requested a microwave - which they brought down within minutes. The service is great here and everyone is so friendly. I have a feeling we will forever be spoiled by this resort and will have a tough time going back to a moderate resort the next time.

Sounds amazing!

 

[leannak]

Forgive me, but I have ANOTHER question.

I have two standard rooms booked for my family. If I request Fiji or Samoa or someplace with good standard views (but NO castle view), does that eliminate any chance of a nice lagoon view upgrade? I'm guessing they won't want to move us out of the building we requested... especially since we have two rooms! Am I better off requesting a room that has lagoon and standard views?

(No, I'm not expecting or really even hoping for an upgrade... i just don't want to eliminate all chances of one. : )

While I'm at it, which longhouse would you recommend for someone who wants to be close to transportation, GCH, volcano pool and beach? We'll be going to chef mickey's first night and back and forth many times to MK and once to Epcot. Oh and we're doing the luau! We have ages from little kids and grandparents.

 

[Koh1977]

We added two days to our planned Disney trip. We stayed the first two days at the Royal Pacific at Universal. We just checked in to the Poly today. We learned that, for our family at least, we are better off just staying the whole time at Disney. I wold have loved to add the two days at the Poly, but my room discount was only good for a maximum of 7 nights - and that is what we already had booked. I couldn't justify (read: afford) the two extra days at the Poly.

We check in tomorrow!! Sea World today!

 

[angbuz]

21 days! We are getting super excited. We are going out shopping for some things for our trip and this is making the kids very excited. I can't wait until we step foot in the Poly. (I think I'm more excited about staying at the Poly than actually going to the parks .......my kids think I'm nuts!! Reading this thread and seeing pics has really made me long to be there and experience the Poly for myself......finally!
Just wanted to share my excitement!!!

 

[Carriesouthard]

21 days! We are getting super excited. We are going out shopping for some things for our trip and this is making the kids very excited. I can't wait until we step foot in the Poly. (I think I'm more excited about staying at the Poly than actually going to the parks .......my kids think I'm nuts!! Reading this thread and seeing pics has really made me long to be there and experience the Poly for myself......finally!
Just wanted to share my excitement!!!

Ok, seriously feeling the EXACT same way!!!!!!!!! My families first ever poly stay. We are BC lovers but, my oh my, I think we will be converted on this trip....I can't even pinpoint one thing I'm super excited about....the whole resort has me bursting, 15 days for me