ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: September 2012

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

what do u think i should request then? balcony, close to gch and pool?

Yes

 

[jillianml]

I know everyone is always very concerned about choosing a specific longhouse...especially those who are newbies to the Poly and more familiar with the spread out resorts at Values and Mods. Poly is not very spread out. It is quite compact in comparison. Every longhouse is closer/further from different points of interest like pools, GCH and TTC but honestly the walk is minimal anywhere.

Given the uncertainty of the refurb schedule, my advice would be to request the other needs.....such as close to pool, close to TTC, close to GCH, balcony, monorail view, etc. This gives the staff a better understanding of what you need and more rooms in the inventory to choose from. If you request a longhouse that is out of inventory because of refurb or guest capacity, the staff has no insight on why you chose that longhouse. KWIM?

We have stayed in both Aotearoa and Tokelau and loved both locations for different reasons. There is no bad location at the Poly and each longhouse has its own view/location personality that will give you a unique experience. I wouldn't sweat it. Know that if you get to your room and really dislike the view or location, you can walk back to the lobby and ask for a new room. The CMs really do want you to have a magical vacation and will work to accomodate your needs.

Thank you,this is great advice!We are going to be staying for the 1st time at the poly march 20 th to 24!Also the 1st time bringing a toddler lol!Its just gonna be me (mom) DD 13 and 23 month old DD!My husband doesnt do Disney but doesnt stop us this our 3 rd trip without him lol!On the 4 th day we are switching AOA nemo suite and my brother is joining us for 4 days so excited!I picked the poly to be close to the magic kingdom,thought its probably gonna be the park of choice with a lil one!Think I will just request something close to GCH.

 

[kbceman]

This is our first time staying at the Polynesian and we are very excited about it! We have been wanting to try the Poly for some time now. Last year we stayed at the Boardwalk and had an amazing view of IllumiNations from our room. My question is this, are you able to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the Poly? I have read that it's a perfect view from the beach, but then I saw last night something that said that the foliage has grown so large that the fireworks are no longer visible. I am debating between the Pirates and Pals cruise that's offered and just watching on the beach. Of course, if you can't see them from the beach, that makes the decision pretty easy!! Thanks so much for any information you might have!

 

[AshleyD1983]

This is our first time staying at the Polynesian and we are very excited about it! We have been wanting to try the Poly for some time now. Last year we stayed at the Boardwalk and had an amazing view of IllumiNations from our room. My question is this, are you able to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the Poly? I have read that it's a perfect view from the beach, but then I saw last night something that said that the foliage has grown so large that the fireworks are no longer visible. I am debating between the Pirates and Pals cruise that's offered and just watching on the beach. Of course, if you can't see them from the beach, that makes the decision pretty easy!! Thanks so much for any information you might have!

When we were there in April we were able to view the fireworks with no problem at all.

 

[camdensmom]

We stayed 3rd floor MK view in Tahiti in December 2007. I'm hoping for the same location for this trip. I loved that it was away from the hustle and bustle and that we could easily get to TTC and take the boat or the monorail. I also enjoyed the walk to the GCH. I felt like we were getting to experience the resort and don't know that I would say the same at a closer longhouse.

 

[PHLtoMCO]

This is our first time staying at the Polynesian and we are very excited about it! We have been wanting to try the Poly for some time now. Last year we stayed at the Boardwalk and had an amazing view of IllumiNations from our room. My question is this, are you able to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the Poly? I have read that it's a perfect view from the beach, but then I saw last night something that said that the foliage has grown so large that the fireworks are no longer visible. I am debating between the Pirates and Pals cruise that's offered and just watching on the beach. Of course, if you can't see them from the beach, that makes the decision pretty easy!! Thanks so much for any information you might have!

I did not have this experience. We stayed at the Poly for 10 days in June and watched Wishes several times from the beach with a perfect view. The only difference that I have noticed recently is that the Wishes music they play through the speakers during the show isnt as audible as it used to be. I feel they could turn it up a bit more or replace the speakers if that's the problem. The beach/pool area can get quite crowded during Wishes so I think the noise level can also mask the sound coming from the speakers. As far as they view- no issues if you are watching from the main beach area in my opinion.

 

[longing4disney]

Is there a TV Channel that we can turn on during wishes if we watch it from our TPV room? If so, may I know what is the number?

 

[maiapapaya]

This is our first time staying at the Polynesian and we are very excited about it! We have been wanting to try the Poly for some time now. Last year we stayed at the Boardwalk and had an amazing view of IllumiNations from our room. My question is this, are you able to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the Poly? I have read that it's a perfect view from the beach, but then I saw last night something that said that the foliage has grown so large that the fireworks are no longer visible. I am debating between the Pirates and Pals cruise that's offered and just watching on the beach. Of course, if you can't see them from the beach, that makes the decision pretty easy!! Thanks so much for any information you might have!

I also don't believe this is true. We were just there two weeks ago. The fireworks are shot off over the castle. The castle is still in plain view. The only fireworks that may not be fully visible are the little ones that they fire off directly around the castle.

We actually noticed while we were there that crews are working on the island in the lagoon thinning out the trees and folliage (we wondered if it was to improve sight lines for the new GF DVC).

Is there a TV Channel that we can turn on during wishes if we watch it from our TPV room? If so, may I know what is the number?

No, there isn't. If you are staying in Hawaii you can hear the music being broadcast from the beach if you stand out on the balcony. You can't hear the music in Tuvalu and we haven't stayed in Tahiti, so I'm not sure about that longhouse.

 

[tinkermommyof3]

Just returned yesterday from 9 great nights WDW and Poly CL. First time for MNSSHP. So much fun! We love Poly and CL so much. Just prefer Summer to Fall. Didn't swim as much as we like. Will be changing ressie for next Summer from GF SL to Poly CL. Dying to see the renovation. Miss it already. Poly is our home away from home!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Just returned yesterday from 9 great nights WDW and Poly CL. First time for MNSSHP. So much fun! We love Poly and CL so much. Just prefer Summer to Fall. Didn't swim as much as we like. Will be changing ressie for next Summer from GF SL to Poly CL. Dying to see the renovation. Miss it already. Poly is our home away from home!

I really wish I knew what the exact renovation schedule was. If I could guarantee I would have a new room by April, I'd be all over that...I think...

Glad you had a great trip!

 

[mickeynut1]

Just returned yesterday from 9 great nights WDW and Poly CL. First time for MNSSHP. So much fun! We love Poly and CL so much. Just prefer Summer to Fall. Didn't swim as much as we like. Will be changing ressie for next Summer from GF SL to Poly CL. Dying to see the renovation. Miss it already. Poly is our home away from home!

Glad you had a great time and enjoyed MNSSHP . We've gone to the Halloween party 3 times and had just as much fun the 3rd time as we did the 1st . We are trying Poly CL for the first time next summer, but even without having experience with it, I too would choose that over GF SL. I'm glad I tried SL, but I didn't care for it. We feel the Poly is "home" to us too. We've only stayed there once so far, but that was enough to get us hooked .

 

[tinkermommyof3]

I really wish I knew what the exact renovation schedule was. If I could guarantee I would have a new room by April, I'd be all over that...I think...

Glad you had a great trip!

With or without a renovation, the rooms are still in good condition. The building and location are lovely. The lounge is amazing--food, watching wishes, etc. (not biased or anything!) I never regret staying at the Polynesian.

 

[tinkermommyof3]

Glad you had a great time and enjoyed MNSSHP . We've gone to the Halloween party 3 times and had just as much fun the 3rd time as we did the 1st . We are trying Poly CL for the first time next summer, but even without having experience with it, I too would choose that over GF SL. I'm glad I tried SL, but I didn't care for it. We feel the Poly is "home" to us too. We've only stayed there once so far, but that was enough to get us hooked .

I hope you end up loving Poly CL as much as we do. I have no doubt that you will since you already are a die hard Poly lover. This will just be the icing on the cake.

 

[Mousemommy1]

With or without a renovation, the rooms are still in good condition. The building and location are lovely. The lounge is amazing--food, watching wishes, etc. (not biased or anything!) I never regret staying at the Polynesian.

***Sigh***

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

TINKERBELLIE16

Thanks for your mini trip report!
So sorry the weather was icky, no swimming for you!
It's funny you mentioned the "guide" who walks/talks to you while you go through the entrance. I'm one of those who likes to stand and drink it all in when I arrive. Don't talk to me! Lol!
Glad to hear that you didn't have any major monorail issues. Were the parks crowded? Did you eat at O'Hana's? Yum!
Welcome home!

We only went to MNSSHP one night and Epcot for a morning/evening on a Monday during Food & Wine. MNSSHP was great - as always!!! Love that you get on rides immediately. Some of the lines for candy were a wee bit long, but it only took 2 minutes to get through them. Epcot during food and wine is always more crowded. The walkway around the lake is narrow as it is and with all the booths, it creates more congestion but going on a Monday was not bad. The lines for the attractions were very quick though! Now we did go to DTD on a Sunday around lunch time and it was the most packed I have ever seen it (even compared to a weekend evening!) Must be the local crowd going on a Sunday??

We did not eat at Ohanas. While I would have loved to, I did not plan this trip very far in advance and I didn't want to have any timed reservations to stick to. On a longer trip, I don't mind but for such a short trip, we didn't want to be tied down to ADRs. And what a fabulous surprise that Kona sushi bar did a to go order

Tinkerbellie16 Loved your review. I always like to read your take on things as I agree with so many of your observations. I feel the same way about the bathrooms. I hope the refurb doesn't screw up the counterspace and the fully encompassing bathroom.......but given Tikiman said the bathrooms were getting a new design that included moving plumbing and double sinks.....looks like we may be in the minority who like the current design. Oh well. Glad you had a nice trip

It will be interesting to see what the refurb has in store for the Poly! Even the bellman mentioned that the room I was checking into would not be the same the next time I visited (but he didn't state a date range for Tokelau refurb so can't give any insight there).

 

[pixarmom]

Mousemommy, I thought I read somewhere that the refurb schedule was too uncertain, so he might take these dates down, but this is what's currently on TM's site:

Aotearoa: 2013
Fiji: 2013
Hawaii: Jan-March 2013
Niue: Jan-March 2013
Rapa Nui: April-June 2013
Rarotonga: Feb-April 2013
Samoa: Jan-March 2013
Tahiti: March-May 2013
Tokelau: March-May 2013
Tonga: 2013 (new lounge)
Tuvalu: 2013

 

[Mousemommy1]

Mousemommy, I thought I read somewhere that the refurb schedule was too uncertain, so he might take these dates down, but this is what's currently on TM's site:

Aotearoa: 2013
Fiji: 2013
Hawaii: Jan-March 2013
Niue: Jan-March 2013
Rapa Nui: April-June 2013
Rarotonga: Feb-April 2013
Samoa: Jan-March 2013
Tahiti: March-May 2013
Tokelau: March-May 2013
Tonga: 2013 (new lounge)
Tuvalu: 2013

Thanks! I knew about these dates, but I think you are right in that he is probably going to take these down because of the uncertainty...However, these dates do kind of make sense because most of the standard/GV buildings are out of commission during our stay in April (at least there is alot of overlap) and I can't get a GV room on the military discount during my time period...so it stands to reason that it's because so many of the longhouses will be out of commission as it is...

 

[pixarmom]

Thanks! I knew about these dates, but I think you are right in that he is probably going to take these down because of the uncertainty...However, these dates do kind of make sense because most of the standard/GV buildings are out of commission during our stay in April (at least there is alot of overlap) and I can't get a GV room on the military discount during my time period...so it stands to reason that it's because so many of the longhouses will be out of commission as it is...

That makes sense. And of course, we haven't been able to book CL in January, which matches the reports that Hawaii is closed for rehab during that time. Good thing is that there are so many good locations and longhouses at Poly! (But that doesn't stop me from following refurb news - always better to know what to expect!)

 

[mickeynut1]

I hope you end up loving Poly CL as much as we do. I have no doubt that you will since you already are a die hard Poly lover. This will just be the icing on the cake.

I think we will love it and I can't wait to try it . We are there in July so it will be nice to be so close to the volcano pool as we hang out at the pool alot and we loved that location/area when we stayed in Samoa .

 

[mickey1510]

Will the resort feel like a ghost town with all of the Longhouses being closed in March and April?