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

[ppony]

What? I missed cookies too? Oh vell. I'm pooh sized enough. My man harem would have liked them though I'm sure. It as a LONG day to that point and my guys were tired and hungry. We used ME for the first time and when we pulled up a could of older laides behind us said "Who would stay there. It's so expensive". Then up we got and they said "oh, THEY are." in one of those snotty voices. What I didn't get though was it was the ME delivering people to the Poly, CR, GF and WL. Last I checked they were all a bit on the more $$$ side. I wonder what she had up her...you know. When I vacation I want where i go to NOT look like home. The Poly and now our new DVC home (AKV) are about as far from MN and the woods as you get.

 

[BreezysMom]

For Polynesian Lovers who stayed at other resorts - Please tell me what you liked about the other resorts (not monorail) in comparison? Thank you!

We (DH, DW, DS4) might stay at BC, WL, CBR, or somewhere else for a late Spring 2010 or Dec. 2010 trip.... Want to do something different but worried about being disappointed since we loved the Poly so much for the theme, convenience to MK and monorail, and lots of restaurants. Our favorite parks are MK, AK, HS in that order. Epcot - we can do the rides/attractions in 1 day but would go back just for lunch/dinner. We loved MK fireworks, illuminations not so much. We get park hoppers. We liked returning to the resort for a break before dinner (most days).

Beach Club Resort - Stormalong Bay Pool seems nice plus Epcot restaurants and 2 signature restaurants (Flying Fish, Yacht Club). Seems like it would be a long ride on the bus to get to Magic Kingdom. But, if we came back to BC for a break after the parks, it's a quick walk to many restaurants for dinner.

Wilderness Lodge - I don't know why but nothing here really excites us - except the big tree I saw at Christmas time in the lobby. Was a challenge to get to Hoop-Dee-Doo and Mickey's Backyard BBQ when we came by bus. We would not do those shows on our next trip.

Caribbean Beach Resort - The Pirate themed rooms might be nice for our boy.

Before we went on our last trip I was bound and determined to check out some Epcot resorts for a possible stay or split stay. So one day I literally had to drag DH and DD from Epcot for lunch at either the Boardwalk or BC/YC. I wanted DD to see SAB and how close they were to Epcot and a that you could take a boat to DHS or walk for that matter!

They were like to spoiled children. They would not even look around and pretty much pouted the whole time. We had a great lunch outside at the Boardwalk's Big River Grill. The BW was really quiet because it was mid day so neither of them saw anything appealing. We did see a Wedding Party but that allure quickly faded!

I could not even get the brats to walk over to SAB to see it close up or the inside of any of the three resorts

I don't think we will stray from the Poly anytime soon especially since we have been very lucky with codes. I can tell you if they had DVC at the Poly my DH would be the first to sign on the dotted line!

We are huge MK fans even as DD gets older it seems to be our favorite. DH finds nothing appealing about GF and while he likes the WL he does not have a desire to stay there. He is really spoiled by the Monorail.

What? I missed cookies too? Oh vell. I'm pooh sized enough. My man harem would have liked them though I'm sure. It as a LONG day to that point and my guys were tired and hungry. We used ME for the first time and when we pulled up a could of older laides behind us said "Who would stay there. It's so expensive". Then up we got and they said "oh, THEY are." in one of those snotty voices. What I didn't get though was it was the ME delivering people to the Poly, CR, GF and WL. Last I checked they were all a bit on the more $$$ side. I wonder what she had up her...you know. When I vacation I want where i go to NOT look like home. The Poly and now our new DVC home (AKV) are about as far from MN and the woods as you get.

Some people just have a beef about the Poly. I have not been able to figure it out. For every post raving about the Poly this is another person complaining. I will never claim that the resort is perfect but our family sure loves it and for now is our "home" resort.

 

[BCV23]

I wanted to add a bit about the AP's. Last March we upgraded to AP's with the 4/3 deal. Our plan was to return for a weekend trip at Halloween and also for our 2010 family vacation in March. Money wise it made sense. We were saving in the long run. We also had the chance to travel with my Dad in August so we had another chance to use our passes. In October we stayed at the Pop for $62 a night. Yes it is not the Poly but it was $62!!!! When the 40% off deluxe pin codes came out for January we opted to push up our family vacation and go to the Poly. I am considering renewing one of our AP's so we can take advantage of the room discount in 2011 as well.

$62 is a great deal, isn't it?

We find the discount on admission to be the most appealing aspect of our APs but do love the room discounts as well when they are available. It is nice to see 40% again as it seems like years and years since those were available other than the months after 9/11.

For those considering renewing, currently a renewal is good for 15 months.....loving that!

Yes I'm quoting myself, I forgot to give an update on this. When I checked they let me know I had a fedex box waiting for me the Lei's were beautiful and lasted all week hanging in our room and smelled wonderful.

http://www.hawaiiflowerlei.com/

We got 4 total we got two for the kids also

Single White Orchid and Rose (Pink) : 1 x $22.00 = $22.00
Single Strand Green and White Orchid Lei (NA) : 1 x $17.50 = $17.50
Single Strand Orchid Lei (NA) : 1 x $14.25 = $14.25
Ti Leaf and Orchid Lei (Purple) : 1 x $27.00 = $27.00


Total Cost: $80.75
Tax: $0.00
Shipping Cost: $30.22
Total Amount: $110.97

WDW florist wanted 35 dollars for carnation lei's so I saved money and had Orchid Lei's overnighted from Hawaii for less money.

What a great idea. Thanks for sharing it.

Many moons ago when we first started staying at the Polynesian, the leis were always real. Anyone else remember that?

It was the CM who did our check in that gave them to us. Once he was done with all the details he reached over the counter, put them over our heads and said "Aloha, welcome to the Polynesian" and then handed us enough for the rest of our party.

That has been our typical experience for the last ten years or so, too.

BreezysMom, hope Breezy is feeling better.

 

[TJA]

Originally Posted by DisneyFamily123
For Polynesian Lovers who stayed at other resorts - Please tell me what you liked about the other resorts (not monorail) in comparison? Thank you!
We (DH, DW, DS4) might stay at BC, WL, CBR, or somewhere else for a late Spring 2010 or Dec. 2010 trip.... Want to do something different but worried about being disappointed since we loved the Poly so much for the theme, convenience to MK and monorail, and lots of restaurants.

We have stayed at all the resorts you listed. I think you'd find comparable perks at the BC compared to Poly, such as conveniences getting to parks and lots of easily accessible restaurants. At the BC, as you noted, you can walk to Epcot and enjoy many difference restaurants in the World Showcase. We also like the walk or boat ride over to HS. And the sandy-bottom pool and mounds of sand to play in are great perks. The boardwalk area is lots of fun too, movies on the beach, campfire and smores, Beaches & Cream. I don't think you'd be disappointed at the BC.

As far as WL......we love the theme. It has a rustic, secluded feeling but yet its only a short boat ride away from MK. Lobby is very cozy and restaurants are good. However, if we're going to stay that close to MK, then we sort of feel like we should just pay the extra and stay at a monorail resort so that we have the monorail to get around. Just our own personal feeling.....

CBR.....we stayed in a pirate room last April. It was a very cute room. We were not fond of walking outside for the 15 minutes or so that it takes to get to the food court and main pool, though. And we were not fond of all the internal bus stops. We also were not fond of the double-size beds. However, we knew all of that going into it, so we were not surprised or shocked by anything. It's a beautiful resort with a great pool, but we are just too used to the conveniences of the deluxes.

Having said all that, we are staying at Poly this April and cannot wait!! What we love most about the Poly and BC is that both are awesome resorts with great perks, but yet they offer seeing disney from different perspectives. Poly being focused on MK, while BC is more about Epcot, HS, boardwalk.

 

[daleed77]

Aloha -
We are about a month from our first time at Poly (and club level) and are very excited! I have a couple questions about requesting a room. I know that ultimately it comes down to personal preferences, but I love to hear people's points of view.

We will be staying in the Hawaii longhouse with a garden view.
1. Are any locations not advisable? Too loud?
2. Are any particular views with the garden level better than others?
3. First floor vs. third floor - opinions? We don't want to stay on the second floor - no patio or balcony.

We are two adults traveling with no children. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Dale

 

[BreezysMom]

Aloha -
We are about a month from our first time at Poly (and club level) and are very excited! I have a couple questions about requesting a room. I know that ultimately it comes down to personal preferences, but I love to hear people's points of view.

We will be staying in the Hawaii longhouse with a garden view.
1. Are any locations not advisable? Too loud?
2. Are any particular views with the garden level better than others?
3. First floor vs. third floor - opinions? We don't want to stay on the second floor - no patio or balcony.

We are two adults traveling with no children. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Dale

Hi Dale

We just stayed club level Garden view and had a nice third floor room. We had a wonderful view of the quiet pool. In my opinion, since you do not have small children you may prefer a third floor room with a balcony. It may be a bit quieter than a patio because people are walking by throughout the day and there is not much "blocking" the patio areas unless you are in the first few rooms on the first floor and then the patio is totally surrounded by foilage.

I asked for a Third floor room in the center of the Longhouse and that is exactly what I got. It was short stroll to the third floor lounge and down the stairs to the main lounge where food and beverages are served. We could enter/exit on either end of the Longhouse which was nice coming back from the Ticket and transportation center to just come up the back stairs and head to our room. I felt is was a quiet location

Have a magical vacation and make sure you came back and tell us all about it!

Here is the Garden View Side of Hawaii on the far end of the Longhouse from the lounge for referance....

 

[ppony]

Aloha -
We are about a month from our first time at Poly (and club level) and are very excited! I have a couple questions about requesting a room. I know that ultimately it comes down to personal preferences, but I love to hear people's points of view.

We will be staying in the Hawaii longhouse with a garden view.
1. Are any locations not advisable? Too loud?
2. Are any particular views with the garden level better than others?
3. First floor vs. third floor - opinions? We don't want to stay on the second floor - no patio or balcony.

We are two adults traveling with no children. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Dale

I'm trying to recall what we had because we did-NOT-like our room location. It was somewhere around 2531. We looked out very close to another bldg. Samoa. Unfortunately that was where they had some grounds equip. at the time we were there (for our 11 day stay anyway) so there was that noise as well. We couldn't see the pool either. Just another building is what I remember. So we kept our drapes closed. NOT something I like. I need light.
I do think it was a second floor so you already are up on steeling clear of that if you can.

If you are in a garden view location that is relatively close to the lounge, you'll hear that traffic quite a bit. We did anyway. LOTS of running feet. I'd expect the further down the hall you'd go, the less traffic you'd hear. Go further down the hall. Try not to be in the first 1/4 of rooms on the lounge end I think. that way you should have less traffic and you won't be looking into a building and other rooms. That's my 2c.

 

[ppony]

That has been our typical experience for the last ten years or so, too.

Guess I'm just cursed in one way or another to not ever get the full magic at The poly. This time though, no leis didn't exactly register on my unhappy scale. But gee, can anything ever go normal for me there?

Guess I'll probably never know.

 

[Zuzu03]

Just booked our flights for next July - I know it's early, but anytime it's under $200 pp rt from Vermont, I'm pretty happy! SO excited!!!

 

[BreezysMom]

Just booked our flights for next July - I know it's early, but anytime it's under $200 pp rt from Vermont, I'm pretty happy! SO excited!!!

YEA!!!

Oh I am jealous! I have been checking every day and it has been around $280 pp from Chicago. This last trip we paid $158 pp rt plus the stupid baggage fees which was about $90 extra round trip for our 3 bags. I was really happy with that but I doubt I will get that lucky again!

The nice thing about going in July is that you don't have to wonder so much about what the weather will be like? A few shorts, tank tops and a bathing suit and you are all set

 

[leeann32]

Just booked our flights for next July - I know it's early, but anytime it's under $200 pp rt from Vermont, I'm pretty happy! SO excited!!!

I'm not so patiently waiting for September flights to be released. Hopefully we can find a good deal too! Once we book our flights, all I have left to do is wait for September to hurry up and get here

 

[daleed77]

Thanks to BM and Ppony!

I guess the third floor center is what I'm going to request. I cannot wait for this vacation!

 

[Cinders Mum]

I really envy you guys with the airfares to MCO from where you are.... LOL. Still it's worth it to get back to our beloved Poly at the end of September.

 

[DLW8]

I've been reading all the posts for a while now, and am very excited that we will be at the Poly in about a week and a half! I have always wanted to stay here, and now it will happen!

I would like to ship a box to the hotel, does anyone have the address to use and what I should put on the label? Thanks so much, can't wait to see the Poly and having it decked out for the holidays is just a bonus!

 

[BreezysMom]

I've been reading all the posts for a while now, and am very excited that we will be at the Poly in about a week and a half! I have always wanted to stay here, and now it will happen!

I would like to ship a box to the hotel, does anyone have the address to use and what I should put on the label? Thanks so much, can't wait to see the Poly and having it decked out for the holidays is just a bonus!

Polynesian Resort
Your Name and Arriving date
1600 Seven Seas Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000

I would suggest sending UPS rather than the USPS. When you get there tell them you shipped a box ahead of time and they will locate it and have it delivered to you room!

Have a fabulous trip

 

[lkaanda]

Since this seems to be the best place for Poly advice... I thought I read you can get bed rails at the Poly, is this true? Do you know if I request them I can be reasonably sure to get them? We are going in Feb. 2010 and I have a couple kids who sleep all sideways and would fall out without a bedrail. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[BreezysMom]

Yes, the do provide bed rails. I think you can request them on your ressie and then call Mousekeeping upon arrival and they will deliver them to your room.

I personally have never used them so I don't have specifics.

Happy Planning

 

[flevy]

Just booked our flights for next July - I know it's early, but anytime it's under $200 pp rt from Vermont, I'm pretty happy! SO excited!!!

Yay for you! I booked my brother's flights from Portland ME and I was shocked at how expensive flights were.

 

[sndral]

I fly out this sun. for my first poly visit. I've decided not to care re: which garden view room I get, I just hope I don't get stuck looking @ the parking lot and that we are centrally located enough to make it easier on 75 yr. old mom. We did request connecting rooms - anyone know whether there are more or less of these in different long houses?
I asked this question elsewhere a few weeks ago, but will re ask it here. My son @ the last minute added La Nouba tickets for the 9:00 show on the night we have 6:30 Ohana ressies, I tried to make the Ohana ressies for earlier w/ no luck - any advice on how to manage both? I plan to get a taxi and let Ohana know our timeline.
Final question - I always enjoy hottubs and know there is none @ the Poly - can anyone give me details about the GF's spa and how to use it?

 

[BCV23]

I fly out this sun. for my first poly visit. I've decided not to care re: which garden view room I get, I just hope I don't get stuck looking @ the parking lot and that we are centrally located enough to make it easier on 75 yr. old mom. We did request connecting rooms - anyone know whether there are more or less of these in different long houses?
I asked this question elsewhere a few weeks ago, but will re ask it here. My son @ the last minute added La Nouba tickets for the 9:00 show on the night we have 6:30 Ohana ressies, I tried to make the Ohana ressies for earlier w/ no luck - any advice on how to manage both? I plan to get a taxi and let Ohana know our timeline.
Final question - I always enjoy hottubs and know there is none @ the Poly - can anyone give me details about the GF's spa and how to use it?

If you are seated on time, I think you'll be fine for La Nouba. However, if it were me, I'd check with the restaurant itself if they could fit you in earlier. Maybe run over during breakfast hours and ask. For sure, show up early.

As for the spa, just walk over. It's a short and beautiful walk. You just need to show your room key to use the fitness facility. I'm not sure about the rules for the using the whirlpool though??? Someone else will know. Have a wonderful vacation!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.