Aloha! ***Welcome to the NEW Poly FAQ***

[Tinkermom76]

I keep going back and forth between CBR and the Poly. We have only ever stayed value and decided never again. DH hates buses and really wants to stay on the monorail. I love the Poly, it's my dream resort - and... we have a 40% off pin code. That said, it's still about $1000 more for the week than CBR.

Please tell me why the Poly is worth it, in your opinion. Or, if you think we'd like CBR just as well, please tell me why.

If it helps, we have two kids - 4 and 7. We'll be staying for a week with the dining plan in June. Right now I'm weighing CBR with Plus Dining vs. Poly with QSDP and a few OOP ADRs.

If we stay at CBR, we'll definitely rent a car!

I haven't stayed at Poly yet (will be there in Dec ) but I have stayed at CBR and at the Contemporary as well and I think the extra is worth it if only for the ease of the monorail. I have never bought park hoppers before but will be this trip because it is so easy to get to MK and Epcot. I liked the CBR and didn't mind the walking, but I was in my 20's. Now (not in my 20's) I prefer the size of the room and location of the monorail resorts, especially since my DD's 6 & 8 love the monorail too

 

[kaffinito]

Hi We have our trip booked for the Poly (were considering a switch,due to balcony & some unfavorable reviews I have read, but I think we are going to stick with the Poly& go based on the positive reviews I have read) My question is we really would like a balcony & are booked for standard GV room. I see that TPV is open as well as CL, do I have a better chance at a balcony request sticking with GV or upgrading to either of the other two? Any advice???
TIA

Well, not really. The Hawaii longhouse where the CL is doesn't have balconies on the second floor. However, I think I remember reading that if you book TPV and CL then you definitely get a balcony. It was a page or two back on this thread. You could just book GV, and ask for a balcony but leave the specific longhouse request open. I did that last trip and we had a third floor balcony in Tokelau.

Someone else could answer better than I can on the TPV rooms and if you have a better chance of a balcony there - but I hope I helped at least a little!

 

[kaffinito]

I keep going back and forth between CBR and the Poly. We have only ever stayed value and decided never again. DH hates buses and really wants to stay on the monorail. I love the Poly, it's my dream resort - and... we have a 40% off pin code. That said, it's still about $1000 more for the week than CBR.

Please tell me why the Poly is worth it, in your opinion. Or, if you think we'd like CBR just as well, please tell me why.

If it helps, we have two kids - 4 and 7. We'll be staying for a week with the dining plan in June. Right now I'm weighing CBR with Plus Dining vs. Poly with QSDP and a few OOP ADRs.

If we stay at CBR, we'll definitely rent a car!

If your DH hates buses and you want a monorail resort, there are Garden Wing rooms at CR and the rooms at GF as well. Why not price out one of those as well?

I happen to love the Poly, and think that the theming is just right for me. I also like the food at CC's, and at Kona and O'hana. I like the dark room colors and the tropical landscaping. For us, Poly is a good fit. Why not check out the other monorail resorts to see which one is a good fit for you?

 

[SnowWhite33]

I keep going back and forth between CBR and the Poly. We have only ever stayed value and decided never again. DH hates buses and really wants to stay on the monorail. I love the Poly, it's my dream resort - and... we have a 40% off pin code. That said, it's still about $1000 more for the week than CBR.

Please tell me why the Poly is worth it, in your opinion. Or, if you think we'd like CBR just as well, please tell me why.

If it helps, we have two kids - 4 and 7. We'll be staying for a week with the dining plan in June. Right now I'm weighing CBR with Plus Dining vs. Poly with QSDP and a few OOP ADRs.

If we stay at CBR, we'll definitely rent a car!

We have stayed at the Poly since 2003 every year, last year because of budget we stayed at POFQ-it was a nice stay and we had a good vacation. We were still at Disney.

That being said-we are going back to our Poly this year. Nothing compares for us. We truly feel like we are on vacation with the tropical theming and music. The entire trip last year, we kept saying "this is nice, but if we were at the Poly we could/would be ....not spending so much time on a bus, able to watch fireworks every night from the beach,etc. And at the end of a long, hot, humid day walking past that Monorail to go to a bus and wait at either MK or Epcot last year was a killer for us-it was at times MISERABLE to think we could get back to our room in the time it took for that first bus to arrive if we were at the Poly.

This trip we are taking 2 of our grandkids age 6 and 8, in addition to our 15 yo son. With little ones being able to cut down on transportation time is a huge plus. Being at the Poly or any monorail resort makes going back to the room in the middle of the day for a rest/swim from MK or Epcot so much easier.

A word of caution though, you might end up like us and very spoiled to being on the Monorail

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Please tell me why the Poly is worth it, in your opinion. Or, if you think we'd like CBR just as well, please tell me why.

If it won't seriously break the budget, I'd advise going with the Poly. DD10 and I have stayed at POFQ (which we loved), CSR (which didn't work for us personally). We didn't rent a car and used the buses a lot. If you stay at the Poly, you can get the monorail (MK and EPCOT) or the boat launch back (MK only). This is a HUGE plus being able to get back to your room quickly rather than waiting for the bus, piling into the bus with tired kids, finding a place to sit, riding the bus, waiting for your stop, getting off, hauling tired kids back to the room...you get the idea. You would have to take a bus to AK and DHS but 2 out of 4 parks ain't bad.

Plus another thing about the Poly, if you decide to go with the QSDP, you can also dine at the QS restaurants on the monorail line (GF, CR, MK).

 

[Spoisal]

ok - i've been crunching the numbers & I think we may be able to swing TPV (since it will be value season when we go)....if I don't chicken out! What does everyone think is the best longhouse to request for a Theme Park View...and why?

 

[i_heart_the_mouse]

I booked TPV for the first time for the main purpose of watching Wishes from my room. Now I'm wondering what you do for the soundtrack? I am staying CL, and I've read that it is piped in to the lounge, but maybe I should just downgrade to GV-CL if I have to be out of my room to fully experience Wishes anyway?

Does anyone who has experience with TPV have any advice for hearing Wishes from your room?

 

[GreyGooseCosmo]

I keep going back and forth between CBR and the Poly. We have only ever stayed value and decided never again. DH hates buses and really wants to stay on the monorail. I love the Poly, it's my dream resort - and... we have a 40% off pin code. That said, it's still about $1000 more for the week than CBR.

Please tell me why the Poly is worth it, in your opinion. Or, if you think we'd like CBR just as well, please tell me why.

If it helps, we have two kids - 4 and 7. We'll be staying for a week with the dining plan in June. Right now I'm weighing CBR with Plus Dining vs. Poly with QSDP and a few OOP ADRs.

If we stay at CBR, we'll definitely rent a car!

From a financial perspective: You'll save more with the 40% off PIN than you will with Free Dining if you go that route. I have three adults on the DP and one child, and with my 40% PIN it was 35c more (yes, 35 cents) to take the 40% off PIN and run.

We stayed at the CBR last year. It was lovely. We liked our room, the resort was nice, and the buses were rarely crowded (and ALWAYS timely). The food court was great for breakfast, but not so much for dinner.

This time, we want to stay on the monorail. We're able to do more things because the travel time is less. And my stepdaughter is 10 and getting very diva-like so having a bit more room in the room is my idea of a better vacation. Plus, if she gets too wound up, she can take her happy behind and sleep on the daybed in the room ... not an option at CBR.

Honestly, either resort is GREAT. I think the Poly is just a little something extra with the . The monorail is great, and the atmosphere is stunning.

For the record - when my DD and I were there last year for the luau, we walked through the GCH. She was totally and awe-struck. When I told her we were going to stay at the Poly this year, she was so happy. She said "my-mommy, don't get me wrong, the caribbean hotel was pretty. But if we can stay there at the luau place that is so super cool."



Hope I helped.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Finally talked my wife into a May trip. We will be staying at the Poly for the first time. I am stoked.

Question - we might have a friend join us for one night. Since it is just my wife and I, is that allowed? Is there something that we need to do to allow this?

Thanks...

 

[Dawgdad]

I booked TPV for the first time for the main purpose of watching Wishes from my room. Now I'm wondering what you do for the soundtrack? I am staying CL, and I've read that it is piped in to the lounge, but maybe I should just downgrade to GV-CL if I have to be out of my room to fully experience Wishes anyway?

Does anyone who has experience with TPV have any advice for hearing Wishes from your room?

We open the doors and can barely hear it from Tahiti. I am pretty sure that we could hear it when we stayed in Hawaii with the patio doors open.

 

[maiapapaya]

I keep going back and forth between CBR and the Poly. We have only ever stayed value and decided never again. DH hates buses and really wants to stay on the monorail. I love the Poly, it's my dream resort - and... we have a 40% off pin code. That said, it's still about $1000 more for the week than CBR.

Please tell me why the Poly is worth it, in your opinion. Or, if you think we'd like CBR just as well, please tell me why.

If it helps, we have two kids - 4 and 7. We'll be staying for a week with the dining plan in June. Right now I'm weighing CBR with Plus Dining vs. Poly with QSDP and a few OOP ADRs.

If we stay at CBR, we'll definitely rent a car!

We stayed at the Poly in October, with 2 kids aged 4 and 7! - and this is why we LOVED it:
-the monorail - so easy for transportation!
-the proximity to the MK - we had PH tickets and there were many evenings when we didn't have anything specific planned, so we just jumped on the monorail and popped over to the MK for a few rides and just to hang out
-the volcano pool & beach
-you can watch the EWP & Wishes from the beach at Poly and don't have to deal with getting back to the resort afterwards with two tired kids (or you can watch right from your room if you get LV or TPV)
-the TS restaurants are great - and the QS restaurants at the monorail resorts are better than a lot of the QS restaurants in the parks IMO, esp. CC's & GG at GF
-the feeling that you're right in the heart of WDW with the GF to your left, the CR to your right and the MK right across the lagoon ...

 

[Figment1990]

Well, not really. The Hawaii longhouse where the CL is doesn't have balconies on the second floor. However, I think I remember reading that if you book TPV and CL then you definitely get a balcony. It was a page or two back on this thread. You could just book GV, and ask for a balcony but leave the specific longhouse request open. I did that last trip and we had a third floor balcony in Tokelau.

Someone else could answer better than I can on the TPV rooms and if you have a better chance of a balcony there - but I hope I helped at least a little!

This is always my debate at the Poly too... Balcony vs. TPV.

According to Disney (with extra info from tikiman's website), the longhouses with TPVs are:
Aotearoa - balconies on the 3rd floor, patios on the first
Tuvalu - balconies on the 3rd floor, patios on the first
Tahiti - balconies on all 3 floors
Hawaii/CL - balconies on the 3rd floor, patios on the first. Tikiman's site shows that there are TPV rooms on the 2nd floor, so if he's right, then the TPV/CL combo will NOT ensure you a balcony.

I'm not sure in total how many TPV rooms have balconies vs. how many GV rooms have balconies, but it seems to me that there are more GV rooms with balconies...

So I tried counting the TPV rooms on tikiman's site, just out of curiosity...
Aotearoa - 8 (1 patio, 2 no balcony, 5 balcony)
Tuvalu - 22 (4 patio, 7 no balcony, 11 balcony)
Tahiti - 46 (14 patio, 32 balcony)
Hawaii/CL - 35 (7 patio, 11 no balcony, 17 balcony)

So counting only non-CL buildings, you have 76 total TPV rooms, 48 of which have balconies (63%), 19 have patios (25%), and 9 with no balcony (12%). So I guess the odds are pretty good.

I think it would be interesting to do this for the GV category and the LV category as well... I might have to do that sometime. I would be interested to compare the likelihood of a parking lot GV vs. the no balcony TP or LV... Those would be my least desired options I'd want to avoid.

Unfortunately I my debate is harder b/c I need/want connecting rooms AND a balcony. I think my odds for that would go down if I go up to a TPV room....

 

[jkstewart1800]

Okay -so it has come to this..... I have two choices.... We can fly and stay garden view.... or we can drive (15 hours) and stay TPV.....



Guess which one I chose......?

 

[Dawgdad]

 

[PolynesianLily]

Okay -so it has come to this..... I have two choices.... We can fly and stay garden view.... or we can drive (15 hours) and stay TPV.....



Guess which one I chose......?

Hmmm.
Driving perhaps?
Haha.

 

[jkstewart1800]

You are correct sir!!! After all those wonderful pictures of TPV I couldn't stand it any more!

 

[johnsonet]

LOL

You are correct sir!!! After all those wonderful pictures of TPV I couldn't stand it any more!

Congratulations

 

[maiapapaya]

ok - i've been crunching the numbers & I think we may be able to swing TPV (since it will be value season when we go)....if I don't chicken out! What does everyone think is the best longhouse to request for a Theme Park View...and why?

We were in Tuvalu and really enjoyed it. Because there is no beach between it and the lagoon, from our third floor room it felt like we were right over the water. We had a really pretty view of the GF just off to the left and the small boat launch to the right. Sometimes at night we could hear the music from the luau. It was also very close to the GCH and volcano pool. The only drawback I would say is that it was a bit of a hike to the TTC for our kids (4 & 7), but we didn't find it a huge problem.

 

[Figment1990]

I'm not sure in total how many TPV rooms have balconies vs. how many GV rooms have balconies, but it seems to me that there are more GV rooms with balconies...

So counting only non-CL buildings, you have 76 total TPV rooms, 48 of which have balconies (63%), 19 have patios (25%), and 9 with no balcony (12%). So I guess the odds are pretty good.

I think it would be interesting to do this for the GV category and the LV category as well... I might have to do that sometime. I would be interested to compare the likelihood of a parking lot GV vs. the no balcony TP or LV... Those would be my least desired options I'd want to avoid.

Unfortunately I my debate is harder b/c I need/want connecting rooms AND a balcony. I think my odds for that would go down if I go up to a TPV room....

I just can't resist a good math/analytical problem...

Here's what I found - EXCLUDING Club level:
TPV rooms without balconies: 12%
GV rooms with potential for Parking Lot view: 13%

GV rooms with balconies: 304 (50%)
GV rooms with patios: 200 (33%)
GV rooms with no balcony: 110 (18%)

LV rooms with balconies: 23 (46%)
LV rooms with patios: 19 (38%)
LV rooms with no balcony: 9 (18%)

83% of the non-CL rooms atthe Poly are GV, 7% LV, 10% TPV.

I love Tikiman's site.....

 

[maiapapaya]

I booked TPV for the first time for the main purpose of watching Wishes from my room. Now I'm wondering what you do for the soundtrack? I am staying CL, and I've read that it is piped in to the lounge, but maybe I should just downgrade to GV-CL if I have to be out of my room to fully experience Wishes anyway?

Does anyone who has experience with TPV have any advice for hearing Wishes from your room?

We were in Tuvalu, not CL, but TPV. We did not have any music to accompany the fireworks, but we really we never missed it. With the TPV you can also enjoy the EWP from your room every night, and you can hear the music for that. Personally, I would rather enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of my room/balcony than the lounge, but that's just a personal preference. If you want the whole Wishes experience and the music isn't guaranteed to be heard from your room in Hawaii, then at least you'd be saving some good money if you know you'll be down at the lounge every night anyways. This probably wasn't very helpful!