ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: October 2013

[darthvaderusa]

I don't know if anyone can help me but I have a question on the CL rooms. We have stayed in the Hawaii rooms before & loved them I especially liked the first floor & being able to walk out of your rooms and see the lagoon & the MK. Can you still do this or are the DVC villas in the way? I am planning to go next June but I am not sure if I should stick with the Poly or try the Contemporary.

Any thoughts?

 

[BlueSkies]

Page two rescue!

darthvaderusa Visited the Poly a few months back...and due to the construction of the DVC villas over the water...looks like at least half of what were formerly 1st floor MKV rooms now have views of the new villa... ...The lower numbered rooms... those closest to the lobby do not have anything blocking their view.... Hopefully Tikiman or someone with more knowledge of the lay of the land so to speak will jump in with more definitive info...but that was my observation when we visited the grounds... HTH...

ETA..I think that Trishadono had a stay in a ground floor room facing the lagoon which was now considered GV....not sure of the room #...maybe 1511...also tikiman's site has a wealth of info about all of the constructions happenings...

 

[Jen7079]

Hi Scott,




Also a few notes about CL. Having stayed CL at BC, BWI, CR and Poly so far, we feel the Poly club lounge atmosphere is particularly different from the others. Just more casual, laid back, party feel. At first, I was surprised at how much more casual the Poly lounge was. But it really grew on me, and our boys love it so much there. It's also so convenient to the pools, amazing view, etc. - so many significant benefits that we'll continue to return. In our experience, CMs in the Poly lounge are friendly, but far busier than CMs in the other lounges. So they didn't have the time to engage and chat, like the CMs at BWI or CR. (I know you're familiar with the outstanding BWI CL CMs, and it's tough for anyone to meet that standard!)

I think Poly as part of a split stay will be great fun, particularly because you have a sense of the differences in atmosphere and vibe in advance. Happy to answer any other questions and compare resorts, if that would be helpful!

When you say party feel, is that another way of saying a lot of drinkng? I found Beach Club CL to be almost like a drunk-fest (and I drink myself) I didn't particularily enjoy the vibe. We will be doing the Poly CL starting Friday next and I want to prepare myself

Jennifer

 

[darthvaderusa]

Page two rescue!

darthvaderusa Visited the Poly a few months back...and due to the construction of the DVC villas over the water...looks like at least half of what were formerly 1st floor MKV rooms now have views of the new villa... ...The lower numbered rooms... those closest to the lobby do not have anything blocking their view.... Hopefully Tikiman or someone with more knowledge of the lay of the land so to speak will jump in with more definitive info...but that was my observation when we visited the grounds... HTH...

ETA..I think that Trishadono had a stay in a ground floor room facing the lagoon which was now considered GV....not sure of the room #...maybe 1511...also tikiman's site has a wealth of info about all of the constructions happenings...

Thanks BlueSky. This is what I was afraid of. Now, DW & I will have to figure out were to stay. I still am leaning towards the Poly. Its a great resort.

 

[ninafeliz]

I don't know if anyone can help me but I have a question on the CL rooms. We have stayed in the Hawaii rooms before & loved them I especially liked the first floor & being able to walk out of your rooms and see the lagoon & the MK. Can you still do this or are the DVC villas in the way? I am planning to go next June but I am not sure if I should stick with the Poly or try the Contemporary.

Any thoughts?

We stayed in 1515 last October, which faces the lagoon but we were booked in garden view. It was, I think, 3 rooms from the far end of the building. We could walk out onto the grass to see the lagoon better, and could see the GF to the left easily, but had to walk farther out, to the end of the green construction fence, to get a good look at the MK and to see the Contemporary. We could see the top of the castle over the fence from our room. I'm not sure what kind of fencing they have up now, then it was a tall, green fence at that time that gave us a direct fence view when looking straight out but still a good view to the left and no view to the right. We were ok with it since we had payed for a garden view, as we had easy access, and could still see all of Wishes from out GV room. If there is still a fence I would assume you would see the same thing, but as the construction is coming along on the villas maybe it's a smaller fence?? I was there to check it out last month while staying at the GF, but I can't remember what the fence was like.

 

[Scott MC]

The decor and furnishing aren't Ritz-Carlton quality; however, the staff will make you feel like the only person they are serving. They have been nothing but excellent both times we've stayed. Plus, who doesn't feel pampered in a tropical paradise

I agree! Sounds good to me!

I find the updated rooms at the Poly to be plush but not stuffy. The beds are amazingly comfy (especially after a long day at the parks) and the rooms are the biggest standard rooms you can get at Disney. They've done a good job of updating the new rooms to make them lighter than the traditional Poly look while still giving you a tropical feel. And as the PP said, the staff makes you feel pampered. That's why we keep coming back.

Can't wait! I've heard a lot about the Polynesian hospitality!

Hey right back Scott Conrats..There are lots of GF pals hanging out on this thread these days...so you will be seeing lots of familiar posters! Add me to the fancy list! lol...

Well hey there! Nice to see you on this board as well!

Hi Scott,

I might be able to help a bit, since I've seen you over on other threads and think some of our resort preferences may be similar! BWI/BC are among my favorite WDW resorts and I particularly love the BWI club lounge. But I also love Poly and have been staying there since childhood. So of course, I think split stays are perfect!

I also think your expectations are reasonable because you already know that Poly is different. Very laid back tropical atmosphere at Poly, which is fun and can be relaxing but definitely a different vibe from the peaceful relaxation we find at the Epcot area resorts. I love the new bedding and decor at Poly - that really helped bring an old favorite up to deluxe standards. And even though I've been staying at Poly since childhood and am very sentimental about it, I'm so excited about all the changes and think they'll have a really positive impact on the overall resort atmosphere.

Also a few notes about CL. Having stayed CL at BC, BWI, CR and Poly so far, we feel the Poly club lounge atmosphere is particularly different from the others. Just more casual, laid back, party feel. At first, I was surprised at how much more casual the Poly lounge was. But it really grew on me, and our boys love it so much there. It's also so convenient to the pools, amazing view, etc. - so many significant benefits that we'll continue to return. In our experience, CMs in the Poly lounge are friendly, but far busier than CMs in the other lounges. So they didn't have the time to engage and chat, like the CMs at BWI or CR. (I know you're familiar with the outstanding BWI CL CMs, and it's tough for anyone to meet that standard!)

I think Poly as part of a split stay will be great fun, particularly because you have a sense of the differences in atmosphere and vibe in advance. Happy to answer any other questions and compare resorts, if that would be helpful!

Thanks for all your input! Unfortunately, neither of our stays are CL this time, but I'm sure we'll stay CL again in the near future. We talked about whether to do Poly, then BC, or the reverse, and DP said that while we *think* we'll like Poly, we *know* we'll like BC, so why not end there? It made sense to me!

We also just booked Poly thanks to a "magical" offer. This past trip we had booked for the first time at BC due to a magical offer, and I have to say we LOVED BC. Before BC, Poly was our favorite. So it was a huge discussion at home as to go BC or Poly this time. We ultimately chose Poly - I love watching Wishes from the beach, love the restaurants, love the tropical theme, love the CMs! Hopefully you'll enjoy the Poly as much as we do I'm also really hoping Trader Sam's is open - I have high hopes for this!

Yea, does anyone know when Trader Sam's will open? That will be a big drawing card for us!
Also, will 'Ohana and Kona be left alone in this reno?

Congrats on booking your first Poly stay. We've only stayed at the Poly once, but that was enough for us to fall in love with it. It's an amazing resort with beautiful tropical surroundings that make for a very relaxing stay . I think everything should be open by next August with the DVC construction probably being close to being done (with the exception of maybe some finish work). The quiet pool will most likely be down, but like you said, it shouldn't be an issue, IMO. As far as feeling pampered, I think you will find that at the Poly. We have loved all of the resorts we've stayed at, but the Poly is our favorite (with the GF running a close second). We enjoyed our BC stay and liked the resort, but we find the Poly more relaxing and having a more "pampered" feel to it. With all of that said, I think you will have a great time at the Poly. It may not be a favorite for you over the Epcot resorts or the GF, but I do think you will like it .


Yes, lots of GF pals hanging out on the Poly thread .....with everyone having Poly stays next August .

Hi there! Good to see you here too! We talked a lot about GF or Poly, but the price at the Poly came in noticeably cheaper, otherwise we'd be talking about a totally different stay! Poly...you have a lot to live up to!

 

[kiki02]

When you say party feel, is that another way of saying a lot of drinkng? I found Beach Club CL to be almost like a drunk-fest (and I drink myself) I didn't particularily enjoy the vibe. We will be doing the Poly CL starting Friday next and I want to prepare myself

Jennifer

yeah same. Found a lot of drinking (and i have one/two @ th most) at poly this visit and did not like the vibe either. Even Epcot - weekend evening was getting too crazy.

 

[bethclayton]

yeah same. Found a lot of drinking (and i have one/two @ th most) at poly this visit and did not like the vibe either. Even Epcot - weekend evening was getting too crazy.

we were there in dec 2010 and it was definitely not a drunk fest. too many little kids running around wild but not a drinking thing at all. with that said, we stayed at BC CL in 2013 and did not find that to be even remotely lively, let alone a drunk fest. it was totally snoozeville and awkward. so it prob depends on who happens to be there the week you're there and whether they "take over" the place.

 

[dtr_angel]

We are booked for 1 night at the Poly in December for the first time. We are just in a standard view. I read the info on the first page but didn't see standard view listed for any of the longhouses. Are the standard view rooms in every building? If so, any particular building I should request? It's just for one night so it probably doesn't matter. I see on the online check in it asks balcony or patio as requests. Is there any advantage of one over the other? I'm assuming patio is ground floor? It looks like the king beds are only in suites, so we'll have 2 queens? Does the resort have any actual cribs available? (not a pack n play) We are doing a split stay so renting a crib isn't going to work and nobody will sleep if the toddler doesn't have a crib Are they still doing Blizzard Beach passes because of the pool situation? If so, how does that work? We won't be able to go to BB on our check in or check out day because we have other plans, but could later in our stay. Sorry for so many questions!!

 

[JVig]

Good morning!

We are looking to go to disney towards the end of April. Trying to decide between beach club and poly. We've stayed at beach club once and love it, particularly the pool of course! But I wanted to try something we haven't done yet.
One concern I have in considering the Poly is that the main pool is closed for refurb until "early 2015" according the the website. Does anyone have any concrete info on the reopen date? I don't want to shell out the $ for the Poly if the pool will still be closed.

I apologize if this has already been answered, I tried searching through the thread but didn't see this addressed.

 

[Cluelyss]

Good morning! We are looking to go to disney towards the end of April. Trying to decide between beach club and poly. We've stayed at beach club once and love it, particularly the pool of course! But I wanted to try something we haven't done yet. One concern I have in considering the Poly is that the main pool is closed for refurb until "early 2015" according the the website. Does anyone have any concrete info on the reopen date? I don't want to shell out the $ for the Poly if the pool will still be closed. I apologize if this has already been answered, I tried searching through the thread but didn't see this addressed.

Tikiman has all the best, most up-to-date information on the refurb on his site. I would recommend following the progress there.

 

[indyannamom]

I just booked our stay at the poly for January. We were previously booked at BLT, but it was excluded from the S/P/D or RO offer...and CR was booked...so the Poly it is! DS 7 is infatuated with the monorail and is a little bummed that we won't be at the contemporary. Is there a particular building or area that I should try to request so we can see the monorail from our room?

 

[trishadono]

I just booked our stay at the poly for January.
We were preciously booked at BLT, but it was excluded from the S/P/D or RO offer...and CR was booked...so the Poly it is!

DS 7 is infatuated with the monorail and is a little bummed that we won't be at the contemporary.
Is there a particular building or area that I should try to request so we can see the monorail from our room?

Yep!

Backside of both Rarotonga and Aotearoa!

We liked Rarotonga because it was a quick walk to bus/GCH and pool

 

[BlueSkies]

Tikiman has all the best, most up-to-date information on the refurb on his site. I would recommend following the progress there.

Great advice..thats what we have been doing too....

Hey dtr_angel Just posted something to you on the GF thread....

 

[Bamagirl43]

We are booked for 1 night at the Poly in December for the first time. We are just in a standard view. I read the info on the first page but didn't see standard view listed for any of the longhouses. Are the standard view rooms in every building? If so, any particular building I should request? It's just for one night so it probably doesn't matter. I see on the online check in it asks balcony or patio as requests. Is there any advantage of one over the other? I'm assuming patio is ground floor? It looks like the king beds are only in suites, so we'll have 2 queens? Does the resort have any actual cribs available? (not a pack n play) We are doing a split stay so renting a crib isn't going to work and nobody will sleep if the toddler doesn't have a crib Are they still doing Blizzard Beach passes because of the pool situation? If so, how does that work? We won't be able to go to BB on our check in or check out day because we have other plans, but could later in our stay. Sorry for so many questions!!

You should check out tikiman's pages. He goes over each longhouse and the types of rooms in each.

 

[jandkmom]

I just booked our stay at the poly for January. We were previously booked at BLT, but it was excluded from the S/P/D or RO offer...and CR was booked...so the Poly it is! DS 7 is infatuated with the monorail and is a little bummed that we won't be at the contemporary. Is there a particular building or area that I should try to request so we can see the monorail from our room?

We'll be there in Jan too! Poly is awesome for monorail lovers…you can watch it overhead in the front of the resort and you are a quick walk to TTC for the Epcot monorail as well. Enjoy!

 

[pixarmom]

When you say party feel, is that another way of saying a lot of drinkng? I found Beach Club CL to be almost like a drunk-fest (and I drink myself) I didn't particularily enjoy the vibe. We will be doing the Poly CL starting Friday next and I want to prepare myself

Jennifer

I would definitely not consider it a drunk-fest, but it was more lively than the other CLs we've experienced so far. There was one dad who definitely enjoyed a few drinks (we nicknamed him "snowman" because he was singing "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman" with a bit of volume in the afternoon.) But he was having a good time and always friendly. So nothing was out of line, just funny compared to the other CL environments we've experienced so far. Again, our kids love it - very relaxed, very fun.

We've adjusted our plans based on the 2015 Disney Visa discounts released so far, and we're at Poly CL for marathon weekend in January! Very excited about the convenience of Poly for race weekend and hoping the construction isn't too much of a distraction.

 

[pixarmom]

It may be way too soon, but wondering about pool alternatives in January. When I changed my reservation, the CM said something about the fact that we can use the Blizzard Beach passes instead of the main pool at Poly. But Blizzard Beach is closed starting 1/4/15, so that won't be an option. Any rumors regarding alternatives for guests when BB is closed?

 

[jandkmom]

It may be way too soon, but wondering about pool alternatives in January. When I changed my reservation, the CM said something about the fact that we can use the Blizzard Beach passes instead of the main pool at Poly. But Blizzard Beach is closed starting 1/4/15, so that won't be an option. Any rumors regarding alternatives for guests when BB is closed?

I bet we will get the option of Typhoon Lagoon for free. The quiet pool will also be open, which is our favorite pool anyway. It's more relaxed and has been practically empty every time we go in Jan. It will depend on the temp too.

 

[pixarmom]

I bet we will get the option of Typhoon Lagoon for free. The quiet pool will also be open, which is our favorite pool anyway. It's more relaxed and has been practically empty every time we go in Jan. It will depend on the temp too.

I bet that's right. I noticed TL opens just as BB closes, so that would make sense. Not sure if we'd use TL passes, but we're leaving a lot open since it's marathon weekend and hard to predict how we'll feel coming out of these races! Agree - quiet pool is wonderful! Especially love it because we usually stay in one of the buildings around the quiet pool, so it's much more convenient to get from room to pool than at most resorts.