ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: October 2013

[MouseMum]

I'm staying in August and just got the letter this week.

Perhaps Canada Post is taking a little longer

 

[Retro Magic]

I don't know why it makes me so excited, but STILL waiting for the tiki icon to be added in the lobby lol

 

[Sue M]

I didn't know Touring Plans had that service. Interesting. Like @Sue M said before, I had heard POR was the only resort to actually look at fax requests any more. But perhaps we are wrong!

Hmmm, maybe I'll fax anyway, I do have my requests on my res, but what's the worst that can happen? They don't read it? Maybe worth a try

 

[disneyAndi14]

Has anyone ever stayed in the Tuvalu or Aotearoa longhouses? We have theme park view (non club) so I assume we will be in one of these. Which is better? We are hoping to be able to see the electric parade from our room as well. IF not, we can go to the beach.

We have stayed in Tuvalu, great views of the water parade, also very quiet and peaceful there. We loved it.

 

[whiporee]

I know your trip has been long over, but I am surprised you would not have gone to the GF. Is CL that important? I have never stayed CL but did stay GV at GF last year and it was absolutely perfect. Yup, even stayed in Conch Key, the farthest building out. Probably only took 5 minutes to walk to the main building. The boat was closest to us, so we took that often. Overall, a great stay. I'm just very curious about CL. To pay that kind of money and have to put up with the construction as you said, CL must be quite special!

A couple of reasons -- we like being able to let the kids run outside to watch the boat parade, and we like the idea of the lagoon. But mostly because my wife had already unpacked and we didn't have any idea of what the GF would be like. A devil you know kind of thing. And it was would to require us to move a couple of times. Plus, it was before the early morning construction issues, it was the end of a long day, and we didn't know that the walkway to the TTC was as ugly and rediverted as it turned out to be.

In retrospect, we should have moved. I should have changed the reservation long before we got there.

And, to be fair, after we got home and I sent an email with my concerns, WDW was pretty generous to us. So the taste in my mouth is better than it was.

 

[jhaig]

She said she believes they will shut rooms down that have a view of the construction.

Doesn't that take a huge chunk of Poly's total capacity out of service? I can't see them closing so many rooms for suc a long period of time. That would also make snagging a Poly reservation all the more difficult.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Doesn't that take a huge chunk of Poly's total capacity out of service? I can't seen them closing so many rooms for suc a long period of time. That would also make snagging a Poly reservation all the more difficult.

I agree. I can't see them closing that many rooms.

 

[MouseMum]

A couple of reasons -- we like being able to let the kids run outside to watch the boat parade, and we like the idea of the lagoon. But mostly because my wife had already unpacked and we didn't have any idea of what the GF would be like. A devil you know kind of thing. And it was would to require us to move a couple of times. Plus, it was before the early morning construction issues, it was the end of a long day, and we didn't know that the walkway to the TTC was as ugly and rediverted as it turned out to be.

In retrospect, we should have moved. I should have changed the reservation long before we got there.

And, to be fair, after we got home and I sent an email with my concerns, WDW was pretty generous to us. So the taste in my mouth is better than it was.[/QUOTE

 

[MouseMum]

A couple of reasons -- we like being able to let the kids run outside to watch the boat parade, and we like the idea of the lagoon. But mostly because my wife had already unpacked and we didn't have any idea of what the GF would be like. A devil you know kind of thing. And it was would to require us to move a couple of times. Plus, it was before the early morning construction issues, it was the end of a long day, and we didn't know that the walkway to the TTC was as ugly and rediverted as it turned out to be.

In retrospect, we should have moved. I should have changed the reservation long before we got there.

And, to be fair, after we got home and I sent an email with my concerns, WDW was pretty generous to us. So the taste in my mouth is better than it was.[/QUOTE

 

[MouseMum]

BE PATIENT WITH ME FOLKS!!!! Please disregard my 2 previous posts. Made some boo-boos! Here's my reply to you, whiporee
Whiporee, I must apologize. I merely wanted your opinion as to what a person, such as yourself, feels they get from CL that is worth such money, yet to get such poor accommodations simultaneously. Just what is it that makes it special?? If we were to go for a night or two I might like to try it, however, when driving for 2 long days from Ontario Canada (and with the Canadian dollar being so low right now, thus costing us a small fortune to travel to the US), I find it highly unlikely that will ever happen. No seriously, I'm not moping...we do enjoy our looooonnnng Disney vacations!

You mention the TTC pathway. We'll be staying in one of the studio villas, so I'm curious as to where is it re-routed?

 

[whiporee]

I don't really think anything makes it special per se. We ended up in the club level because we wanted a lagoon view room on the east side -- before we knew about the bungalows -- and the only way to get that was to go to Hawaii. We requested Tahiti, but it's gone now. Our previous two trips had been great -- the kids could go out on the beach at night, watch the fireworks and the boat parade and then come back in, and that's what we had hoped to replicate. We didn't know -- and weren't told -- of the extend of the destruction, or else I would have moved.

I'd stayed club before and was unimpressed, but you get into a "but this is what we're paying for" mentality that had us locked into the idea of club level this time.

But if you're asking me is there anything fundamentally special about club level in general, I don't think so. If you're asking about the Poly, for the time we were there, being club level was the worst place to be, and they knew it. The concierges were annoyed most of the time because people kept complaining about the same things day after day. Because beach access was limited, the lounge was over crowded and you had to stake out seats before the fireworks. And with the new round of construction at the quiet pool, things will be just as bad on the south as they were on the north.

You asked about the TTC path -- they reroute it to the parking lot, so there's a fenced off sidewalk that goes next to the large parking lot and the main Poly entrance street. They've got it fenced to prevent people from walking across the street, so it ends up being maybe 300 yards longer than it used to be -- not the end of the world, I know, but different.

 

[maiapapaya]

We are here now, enjoying our beautiful TPV room in Tuvalu, tucked away on the far side of the resort away from the construction. Speaking of which, a little pool update. When we arrived yesterday there was water in the pool and today it looks like they are getting ready to pour some concrete on the deck. They are leveling out the ground and I saw a portable cement mixer (with a generator) coming in on a trailer. There is also furniture out on the patio at Trader Sam's. They are really pushing to be ready for the beginning of April.

 

[Sue M]

My TA said the most popular request is 3rd floor, Samoa, lava pool side, especially on the magical deal. She said if I want a better chance for a nice view to request Fiji. I'm on the magical deal and just hoping not to have a construction view.

She said she believes they will shut rooms down that have a view of the construction.

When I was in WDW January stayed at por, but went over to Poly to snoop for Aug, see new lobby, and talk to a CM. I was told by CM he thought they'd shut down rooms facing construction too, but I don't think anyone really knows untill it happens. I also can't see them blocking off so many rooms. Samoa, Hawaii, Raratonga, all have rooms facing East Pool. Tokelau too but prob not open yet.

 

[Sue M]

We are here now, enjoying our beautiful TPV room in Tuvalu, tucked away on the far side of the resort away from the construction. Speaking of which, a little pool update. When we arrived yesterday there was water in the pool and today it looks like they are getting ready to pour some concrete on the deck. They are leveling out the ground and I saw a portable cement mixer (with a generator) coming in on a trailer. There is also furniture out on the patio at Trader Sam's. They are really pushing to be ready for the beginning of April.

Enjoy your vacay!! And yay for pool progress!! Although I would have thought filling pool would be last thing to do, so water doesn't get dirty from all construction dust?

 

[Koh1977]

Enjoy your vacay!! And yay for pool progress!! Although I would have thought filling pool would be last thing to do, so water doesn't get dirty from all construction dust?

Perhaps with as many chemicals as go in it, it doesn't matter? Or they were filling it to make sure it was holding water and not leaking? Lol.

 

[maiapapaya]

Enjoy your vacay!! And yay for pool progress!! Although I would have thought filling pool would be last thing to do, so water doesn't get dirty from all construction dust?

Perhaps with as many chemicals as go in it, it doesn't matter? Or they were filling it to make sure it was holding water and not leaking? Lol.

I wondered that too, and also considered that it might be a some sort of testing, although the pool itself isn't new construction. Maybe making sure they haven't damaged it, making sure there aren't any repairs to do before they pour the deck.

 

[Sue M]

I wondered that too, and also considered that it might be a some sort of testing, although the pool itself isn't new construction. Maybe making sure they haven't damaged it, making sure there aren't any repairs to do before they pour the deck.

That would make sense! Have a Dole Whip for me

 

[texasgingerbread]

Perhaps with as many chemicals as go in it, it doesn't matter? Or they were filling it to make sure it was holding water and not leaking? Lol.

I thought the same thing. Why would you fill it when there is dirt all around it. I would think they are testing it or trying to get pictures out there to the public that they are working on it and wanted it to look like progress. Ha!

 

[meganhernandez76]

We have stayed in Tuvalu, great views of the water parade, also very quiet and peaceful there. We loved it.

Thanks so much. I think I will make a special request for that particular longhouse.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Does anyone know how long will it take me to get from the Polynesian to Hollywood for a SciFi Galatic Breakfast beginning at 8:00 a.m. What time should I leave the resort? I assume a bus is the best way to get there directly from Poly?