ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: June 2013

[Koh1977]

Just did online check-in! It allowed me to make 2 room choices. We chose Tokelau as our 1st choice and ground floor as our 2nd. 16 days and counting!

I did Tokelau and balcony

When my TA called, I had him request the beach end...here's to hoping we have a great room with a partial view of the lagoon? would be a wonderful anniversary trip!!

 

[Tikiman]

Can I ask why Steve? We stayed in Tokelau last Poly trip and loved it - ground floor east side. Just curious as to why we wouldn't want ground floor on the pool side. Thanks for your advice!

I love Tokelau for a standard view room. There are some great ground level rooms on the west side (pool side) but many of them on that side will have huge plants just off the patio. For some that might be perfect if they want a private patio but many will feel blocked in with no view. Also the upper floors on the west side are the only standard view rooms on property that can get a sideways glimpse of the castle and fireworks. I know there are a few rooms in Rarotonga that get a peek of fireworks over Hawaii longhouse and the very end of Samoa can look through some trees and see a little fireworks but there are quite a few west side Tokelau rooms that can see the castle and fireworks. The east side of Tokelau is nice and open with great sideways views of the lagoon and Contemporary (not a bad view at all) but west side to me is preferred based on my opinion from staying there and others that report about their visit to me.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

I love Tokelau for a standard view room. There are some great ground level rooms on the west side (pool side) but many of them on that side will have huge plants just off the patio. For some that might be perfect if they want a private patio but many will feel blocked in with no view. Also the upper floors on the west side are the only standard view rooms on property that can get a sideways glimpse of the castle and fireworks. I know there are a few rooms in Rarotonga that get a peek of fireworks over Hawaii longhouse and the very end of Samoa can look through some trees and see a little fireworks but there are quite a few west side Tokelau rooms that can see the castle and fireworks. The east side of Tokelau is nice and open with great sideways views of the lagoon and Contemporary (not a bad view at all) but west side to me is preferred based on my opinion from staying there and others that report about their visit to me.

Makes perfect sense! Again, thanks for the advice and recommendations. We'll definitely go with it - we took your advice 1st time around and that's how we decided on Tokelau both times. You've never let us down!

 

[hebbynan]

So HAPPY - just have to share......just switched our reservations from Lagoon View with 35% off room rate pin to a standard view room with FREE dinning! And the best part......it saved me almost $600!!!!!!!!!! After I thought about it, we wouldn't be spending a lot of time in the room and while a lagoon view would have been nice....it wasn't really a necessity. And saving this much $$ allows us to not have to watch our spending as much while actually there!! Yay!!

Thanks for letting me rant!! I'm so excited!! So that being said...any recommendations for long houses with standard views?

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

So HAPPY - just have to share......just switched our reservations from Lagoon View with 35% off room rate pin to a standard view room with FREE dinning! And the best part......it saved me almost $600!!!!!!!!!! After I thought about it, we wouldn't be spending a lot of time in the room and while a lagoon view would have been nice....it wasn't really a necessity. And saving this much $$ allows us to not have to watch our spending as much while actually there!! Yay!!

Thanks for letting me rant!! I'm so excited!! So that being said...any recommendations for long houses with standard views?

If you read the few posts above, you'll see that we stay Tokelau standard view. Tikiman lists (also in above posts which side) sides (east vs west) and why one is better than the other. We love Tokelau as a standard view room!

 

[Tikiman]

Makes perfect sense! Again, thanks for the advice and recommendations. We'll definitely go with it - we took your advice 1st time around and that's how we decided on Tokelau both times. You've never let us down!

It’s hard giving advice because everyone likes different things and has different opinions. My opinion is no better than the next person except when I am making decisions for myself. When I look at all the pros and cons from my own experience of staying in different longhouses I also take in feedback from others that tell me what they liked or didn’t. From that I try and figure out what longhouse is best for what the person is looking for. Tokelau is just has the most positives so it is a safe bet for people that have never stayed there. I always tell people that when they stay at the resort, walk around and see the views so you can decide for next time where you might like to request. Go look at the lagoon view rooms and see if the view is worth the money because asking people on here just means that you are hoping they have the same taste as you. There are rooms I would not be very happy staying in and others love it.

The best thing you can do is educate yourself with the facts (not others opinion) and when you get to check in, see what is available if you did not get your request granted. Last October I booked a lagoon view room and was given Tahiti (great longhouse for lagoon view) but I asked if the corner room of Tokelau was available. It was and they moved me. In 1998 I got a lagoon view room in Tahiti (then called Moorea) that the top of a palm tree blocked half the balcony. After going to the room I went and asked if anything else was available and they moved me to Tuvalu (then called Samoa). I even know people that their perfect room would be available the next day and they were moved. They would not know unless they asked. That is where knowing what you want makes a big difference.

 

[princessap]

When we stayed at the poly in March we stayed in Tokelau and I wondered at the time if we had gotten an upgrade to lagoon view. Now I know we didn't but were spoiled with an amazing room!!! We loved our view and it is exactly what Steve recommends!!! Plus Tokelau rooms are bigger than other longhouses too!! extra bonus!

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

It’s hard giving advice because everyone likes different things and has different opinions. My opinion is no better than the next person except when I am making decisions for myself. When I look at all the pros and cons from my own experience of staying in different longhouses I also take in feedback from others that tell me what they liked or didn’t. From that I try and figure out what longhouse is best for what the person is looking for. Tokelau is just has the most positives so it is a safe bet for people that have never stayed there. I always tell people that when they stay at the resort, walk around and see the views so you can decide for next time where you might like to request. Go look at the lagoon view rooms and see if the view is worth the money because asking people on here just means that you are hoping they have the same taste as you. There are rooms I would not be very happy staying in and others love it.

The best thing you can do is educate yourself with the facts (not others opinion) and when you get to check in, see what is available if you did not get your request granted. Last October I booked a lagoon view room and was given Tahiti (great longhouse for lagoon view) but I asked if the corner room of Tokelau was available. It was and they moved me. In 1998 I got a lagoon view room in Tahiti (then called Moorea) that the top of a palm tree blocked half the balcony. After going to the room I went and asked if anything else was available and they moved me to Tuvalu (then called Samoa). I even know people that their perfect room would be available the next day and they were moved. They would not know unless they asked. That is where knowing what you want makes a big difference.

And that's exactly what we did our 1st Poly trip. We loved Tokelau - it met our needs perfectly, but like you said, everyone has different wants and needs. We did stroll the resort and check out the other longhouses because we knew we'd be back (after a brief stay at POFQ last year!) And we still decided that Tokelau is the one for us! We love it's central location to everything at the resort. Here's hoping that our request is granted, but if not, I will most definitely take your advice and ask what else is available!

 

[Tikiman]

Fiji has an amazing view from both sides of the longhouse, maybe even slightly better than those from Tokelau but I rated it lower because of the smaller rooms, no balcony on the second floor and its location on the far side of the marina.

There are two rooms in Tokelau that are considered lagoon view but they are hardly ever booked under that category. They are on the 2nd and 3rd floor at the end facing Hawaii. Other than that you will never find a lagoon or Themepark view room that does not face north.

All Polynesian rooms are larger than most deluxe rooms at WDW but Tokelau, Tahit and Rapa Nui are 2 feet longer. The only drawback to the new room is Tokelau had a different layout in the bathroom so when they added the double sink they took up the remaining counter space. The toilet is on the same side as the sinks in Tokelau but all other longhouse the counter continues all the way down the wall. That is the only negative I see to Tokelau rooms.

 

[princessap]

Fiji has an amazing view from both sides of the longhouse, maybe even slightly better than those from Tokelau but I rated it lower because of the smaller rooms, no balcony on the second floor and its location on the far side of the marina.

There are two rooms in Tokelau that are considered lagoon view but they are hardly ever booked under that category. They are on the 2nd and 3rd floor at the end facing Hawaii. Other than that you will never find a lagoon or Themepark view room that does not face north.

All Polynesian rooms are larger than most deluxe rooms at WDW but Tokelau, Tahit and Rapa Nui are 2 feet longer. The only drawback to the new room is Tokelau had a different layout in the bathroom so when they added the double sink they took up the remaining counter space. The toilet is on the same side as the sinks in Tokelau but all other longhouse the counter continues all the way down the wall. That is the only negative I see to Tokelau rooms.

Because of your awesome advice we picked Tokelau last time and LOVED It! it was our first onsite stay and I am finding it hard to stay anywhere else!!! LOL. My DH wants to try somewhere new so I am hoping we can compromise on a split stay providing there is no construction going on when we plan to go!!

 

[peteykirch]

All I hope for when I go to the Poly in October is to have a room with a balcony.

 

[CT Disney]

I know every situation is different, but when we stayed at the Poly, we had a late flight and didn't check in until around 1:00 a.m. and the first 2 of our 3 requests were granted (Samoa, first floor, facing volcano pool), with the 3rd being fulfilled if we wanted to move the next morning. We decided to stay put as we wanted to get settled and we had a pretty view of the quiet pool, but I thought it was great how the CM offered to accommodate all requests, even with such a late check in .

Thanks for making me feel so much better about a late check-in!

I don't want to freak you out but we have not had good luck when arriving late. There have been trips when I have talked to the IPO about room requests, told them we were on a later flight, and they've practically given a 100% guarantee we would have the room we want (sometimes they even give me the room #) but then when we arrive we aren't anywhere near where they said we would be. It's very perplexing. I'm not sure what happens in the line of communication, maybe IPO doesn't have much say in what room you will have as they think they do. Also I think the squeaky wheel gets the grease when it comes to check-in. If someone checking in early doesn't like their room location I think they can move people around as long as they aren't changing anyone's room category. This is the main reason we stopped taking later flights. I hate dragging in tired and late in the evening only to have to deal with "this is the only room we have left". People can argue with me if they want but I have had this happen on many occasions and I'm basing it totally on first hand experience. Read the trip report in my signature if you want to hear a check-in nightmare. And that trip wasn't even late, I think we got to the hotel mid-afternoon. This next trip we are flying in very early, plane lands at 8:45 AM so I am very hopeful to get the 3rd floor. (fingers crossed!!!)

That is exactly what happens. Often your room number is already known but people that check in before others might not like their room location and ask to be moved so others can get bumped. Our friends who checked in late were assigned a room next to us on the ground floor. By the time they arrived they were bumped up to the second floor eventhough I was told their room was assigned to be next to us. This happened just from the time they landed until they arrived at the resort.

We have a super late arrival (10:40!) I was scared of not getting our requests, so I booked us at the Hyatt at MCO for one night and then we will check in the next day nice and early.

Hey, wait a minute...I was just starting to feel better about my late check-in. Oh well, easy come, easy go!

So, since we are arriving late on Thursday (around 8:00 pm), do you think it would make more sense if we stayed at a different hotel on Thursday night and checked in early on Friday morning? Would that possibly yield a different result than checking in late on Thursday and kindly asking to be moved on Friday morning it we don't like our room assignment?

Did you get the answer to this? If they served better beer I would give some serious thought to upgrade to CL and drop our DXDP. I even called to find out if a room was still available with our discount and it is.

Nope, nobody has reported back yet. So...if anyone knows what beers are currently in the lounge that would be great! Thanks!

 

[Tikiman]

Hey, wait a minute...I was just starting to feel better about my late check-in. Oh well, easy come, easy go!

So, since we are arriving late on Thursday (around 8:00 pm), do you think it would make more sense if we stayed at a different hotel on Thursday night and checked in early on Friday morning? Would that possibly yield a different result than checking in late on Thursday and kindly asking to be moved on Friday morning it we don't like our room assignment?

I would check in the next day just so I didn’t have to pay the Polynesian rate for a few hours of sleeping in the room. It will not affect your chance of what room will be available the following day weather you are just checking in or if you are already there. Actually getting there around the time rooms become available is the best way to get a good selection. Figure people have to be out by 11 and they do a longer housekeeping and cleaning when new guests are checking in. That is why their target time for check in is 3. You can still get to the Hawaii longhouse any time and enjoy the amenities without checking into your room and remember on the day you leave you have access to the lounge until midnight so even if you’re out of your room you can still get into Hawaii.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I did have one experience at AKL. Booked 2 standard rooms for myself and a friend. Rooms had really bad views (didn't think that was even possible at DIS but there must be a few and we were the lucky recipients on that trip).

Went to front desk to see if anything else was available. There were no other standard rooms available but found upgraded rooms pool view and I believe we kept the same discount or to upgrade wasn't very expensive - 25$ per night. So perhaps sometimes they have some flexibility at front desk. I would say if you really want a particular room type, book before you arrive. But if it doesn't really matter if you get CL, and you are willing to take a chance on availability you MIGHT be able to upgrade to CL at a slightly reduced rate. I've not tried upgrade to CL before so perhaps there is less flexibility there.

It's totally different with CL.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I would check in the next day just so I didn’t have to pay the Polynesian rate for a few hours of sleeping in the room. It will not affect your chance of what room will be available the following day weather you are just checking in or if you are already there. Actually getting there around the time rooms become available is the best way to get a good selection. Figure people have to be out by 11 and they do a longer housekeeping and cleaning when new guests are checking in. That is why their target time for check in is 3. You can still get to the Hawaii longhouse any time and enjoy the amenities without checking into your room and remember on the day you leave you have access to the lounge until midnight so even if you’re out of your room you can still get into Hawaii.

Good advice, many times we have booked Pop for one night when we rent DVC points because we always check-in on Sundays (low points). It allows you to still use ME , which we always do, and then get an early arrival that next morning to your resort. If you're not concerned with the savings on that first night then it would of course be easier not to switch. Plus if you are really miserable the first night more times than not they can switch you the next day.

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[Dizneefamily+4]

Has anyone checked in to a non-CL room since they started removing/replacing the fridges? Just wondering what the fridge situation is and what we can expect!

 

[Our3ps]

Bingo...I got a $97 rate for the Hyatt on our day of arrival and day before our departure. I didn't want to pay $800 more just to stay at the Poly for a few hours. We are also on DXDP and have more than enough credits to cover our "extra" day there.

I would check in the next day just so I didn’t have to pay the Polynesian rate for a few hours of sleeping in the room. It will not affect your chance of what room will be available the following day weather you are just checking in or if you are already there. Actually getting there around the time rooms become available is the best way to get a good selection. Figure people have to be out by 11 and they do a longer housekeeping and cleaning when new guests are checking in. That is why their target time for check in is 3. You can still get to the Hawaii longhouse any time and enjoy the amenities without checking into your room and remember on the day you leave you have access to the lounge until midnight so even if you’re out of your room you can still get into Hawaii.

 

[USCAnna]

Does anyone know what time the poly cl opens for check in? We are hoping to check in early and head to the parks. Thanks!

I just called yesterday...the earliest check in is at 7 am.

 

[mickeymomtx]

2 weeks from tonight we will have full bellies from our dinner at OHANA, huge smiles on our faces from watching wishes from the beach

 

[mickeymomtx]

2 weeks from tonight...we will have full bellies from our dinner at OHANA, have huge smiles on our faces from watching wishes from the beach and will be settling in for a relaxing vacation in Hawaii CL LV. Can't wait!!