Hello Poly Fans! We returned from Poly last Monday. We stayed from Jan. 7-12 for Marathon Weekend, following stays at AOA, AKL CL and GF (RPC) So many thoughts regarding this stay, and although I haven't downloaded photos yet, I'll share a few for those planning or contemplating stays in the near future.
Club Lounge: First, CL. We've stayed CL at Poly, BWI, BC, CR and GF (RPC.) Our three boys rate Poly as their favorite because of the relaxed atmosphere, large space and great views. My husband prefers BWI CL, and I'd have a tough time selecting a favorite. I do appreciate the relaxed atmosphere at Poly when traveling with kids. The lounge is busy (not hectic, just lively) at times and that can be relaxing when traveling with kids. The upper floor of the lounge is a nice retreat if the lower level is too lively! One thing I noticed for this stay was that we were always able to get a great spot on the lower level near the front windows. Didn't see anyone "camping out" near the good seats for extended periods of time. Although guest etiquette in the Poly lounge - at least in our experience - is still not up to par with other lounges. I love that all the rooms are in the same building (unless you're in Tonga) and, therefore, close to the lounge. Enjoyed a few CMs who were friendly but not hovering. The food was OK. Not significantly different from other lounges (although I'd say AKL and GF are my favorite to date.)
Room: We requested a third floor room and received a first floor room, but that was absolutely wonderful because they upgraded us to a lagoon view. If I paid $800 for that view, it would have been disappointing with the construction screen. Since I paid a little over half that amount and it was a complimentary upgrade, I was thrilled. We could see the castle, the fireworks, a slightly obstructed view of the EWP, the beach, etc. from our room. When our youngest was antsy, we sent him out to run around - perfect! It will be hard to go back to garden view, even with the construction. A lizard guest entered our room at one point (even though we were careful about keeping the door closed) but our boys loved it. Catching the lizard was great fun, they said.
We've always been fans of the remodel - love the triple sheeting and the updated look.
Pool: This would have been an issue if the weather was warmer or if we weren't running around all the time (literally!) for marathon weekend. The kids swam for a good stretch each day at AKL and GF and would have otherwise missed the pool area and slide when we transferred to Poly. But when we arrived at Poly on the 7th, the temperatures were diving, and we were starting our marathon weekend activities, so we didn't need a pool. Poly did a nice job with the east pool - it looked very pleasant for a quick swim or a bit of relaxation, but it wouldn't have kept our youngest occupied for long. This was part of our calculation when booking - we'd do park and pool time from Jan 4-7, and then marathon weekend stuff from Jan. 7-12. But again, for a typical trip, I'd want the main pool up and running.
Lobby: LOVE the new lobby. I've been staying at Poly since childhood and I'm sentimental about the old waterfall, but this new lobby is great. It's well-themed, open, airy, updated and still smells wonderful. It's now a comfy place to hang out with plenty of seating areas - so many that we're not staying CL next time. And the view of the castle is great! It will be even better when the screens are down and the new pool area is part of the view. I'd take a castle/pool/lagoon view over the old waterfall any day.
Dining: We ate at Kona and Captain Cook's, and stopped for a drink at the Tambu Lounge. We had an Ohana ADR, but cancelled because we didn't want to rush on half marathon morning after the race. Kona was OK - dinner was not as good as our previous lunches there. But our server was outstanding - one of the best of the trip. Love the atmosphere there even more with the new lobby and the lights hanging from the ceiling. Fun for our youngest to see the monorail from our table. We prefer it over Ohana for many reasons, and even though it was an off night for food, we still recommend it. Captain Cook's was quick, efficient, tasty and seemed far less busy than before. Pineapple Lanai was great fun! Again, it will be so much better when they finish the pool, but I like the concept. It wasn't important to me to do the self-serve anyway, so this works.
Shopping: All the shops are up and running - very nice selection and friendly CMs.
Monorail/TTC: Monorail service was great. I heard of one issue the morning of the 5K, but it was running by 4am. The walk to the TTC is only slightly longer and really not that bad. Since we were in Hawaii, we just followed the path along the East Pool and the kids' club/laundry without going through GCH. It was fine. Glad we chose Poly for marathon weekend because of the spectating benefits and the easy transport to MK, Epcot and other resorts when park time was limited.
Overall impact of construction. It was there, but the open lobby made a huge difference. The "straight into the pit" construction photos of the pool do not reflect our experience with the construction because we never looked straight into the pit. If/when I organize my photos, I can share some beautiful views of the lagoon, the castle, the beach, GF. It looks better "looking out" from Hawaii than looking in from GF. When you see the Poly construction from the boat or from our room at GF, it looks much worse than when you're sitting at Poly looking out at MK and GF. The yellow floaties around the bungalows were almost completely gone and there is grass back up on the old sunset pointe. So they are certainly moving along!
Next stay is for Easter Weekend. Not CL, and we'll likely request Samoa. I know it's a gamble regarding the pool, and many predict it won't be finished by Easter, but we're going to see how it's looking closer to our dates. I'd consider a switch to CR or BC, but it's a tough call . . .
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. I hope you have a great trip to the WL. We love the lodge and CL is just amazing (it actually ranks a very close second to RPC for me). The CL CMs are just awesome and the whole WL atmosphere is relaxing, IMO. Hope you will report back about your stay.
