Anyone stayed at the Polynesian?

[Kimberly9701]

Hi! I am taking my 5 year old son for 7 nights at Disney Sept 6. We are staying at the Polynesian and I had booked a Lagoon View room. Afterwards I realized that we are probably in the worst long house at the resort, as far as convenience. Has anyone stayed since the renovation? Realistic walk times to pool, Ceremonial house, TTC?
Thanks!!

 

[pamkat1820]

If you are on the side of the marina you have probably a 5-7 minute walk depending how fast you walk. We r here now facing the construction, it's not bad at all. We haven't heard any excessive noise in the mornings and they are done pretty early. Some random beeping but my son can be louder lol. We r in Rarotonga, we love it, it's soclose to everything. Prefect.

 

[Kimberly9701]

Thank you! From what I've read it looks we will probably be in Tuvalu. I called yesterday and was tempted to upgrade to Club Level, which would put us in Hawaii. There was 3 Theme Park Club Rooms left, so I doubt all 3 will book and I'd like to get there and see if it's ok convenience wise, before spending that much extra money. I'm hoping the grounds are smaller than they look online!lol Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[Kimberle]

Go to the Poly faq thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/al...resort-and-villas-thread-spring-2015.3398524/

Somebody moved all the faq threads to the resorts community brd.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm at the Polynesian right now! We are in Fiji (right next to Tuvalu). It's a super quick walk to GCH and the pool. A bit longer to TTC. It is LOVELY on this side of the resort. I would stick to what you have booked!

 

[cjparker0110]

When I stayed at the Poly we were in Tuvalu the first couple of days before moving to Hawaii (our ceiling collapsed because the AC was dripping on the tiles and they upgraded us). Anyway, I would say it's probably a 5-7 minute walk, but it's not that bad. It's beautiful and peaceful. I enjoyed the walk, especially in the evening returning to our room. I don't remember the walk from Hawaii being that much shorter for the Great Ceremonial House, though it is much closer if you wish to walk from the Poly to the TTC (which we did a few times just because we could). That said, I'd say wait until you get there to make any decisions. For us, we enjoyed Hawaii but decided that we would never have stayed there if we had to pay for it. The additional charge would be more than what it was worth for us. Of course, we also were in the parks from morning to night and weren't around to benefit from the free food and drinks throughout the day.

 

[monorailsilver]

Honestly it's not a bad walk from anywhere/any longhouse. It is peaceful and relaxing and the time goes by quickly.

 

[Aurora in blue]

We stayed in Tokelau a couple of weeks ago. The resort is amazing!! I would wait and see what your room is like and then ask if you can change if you are unhappy. The buildings are not that far apart, I took our first day to walk around the resort and figure out the best way to get everywhere and it really helped.

 

[king kamehameha]

You chose a nice location...no worries.

 

[AngiTN]

Thank you! From what I've read it looks we will probably be in Tuvalu. I called yesterday and was tempted to upgrade to Club Level, which would put us in Hawaii. There was 3 Theme Park Club Rooms left, so I doubt all 3 will book and I'd like to get there and see if it's ok convenience wise, before spending that much extra money. I'm hoping the grounds are smaller than they look online!lol Have a wonderful trip!!

Why do you think you would probably be in Tuvalu? Is that the building you want?

 

[Kimberly9701]

Thanks so much for the input! I did make a mistake in my first post, we are staying in a Theme Park View room, not Lagoon. And from what I understand, Tuvalu is the only non Club level or DVC building with theme park views now.
We will be at the parks all day for 6 of our days there, but I do plan on coming back to Poly for a few hour break in the afternoon when visiting MK and Epcot. That is the main reason I was worried about distance to pool, monorail.
On Labor Day we are starting with breakfast at O'hana, then going to Mickey's Winter Summerland, then spending the day at the pool, renting a boat, and planned on ordering room service for a late dinner and watching water parade and fireworks from room.
This is my first time doing Disney as a mother and I feel totally unprepared and nervous! I just want my son to have a wonderful experience!

 

[Kimberly9701]

Also, can anyone give me realistic travel times to get to AK and also to the Winter Summerland mini golf? I read that you take a bus to Blizzard Beach and then walk.
As far as strollers- My son is 5, and I originally wasn't planning on bringing a stroller, but have decided to rent one for our MK days. Will I need one for any of the other parks?

 

[slatterie]

Also, can anyone give me realistic travel times to get to AK and also to the Winter Summerland mini golf? I read that you take a bus to Blizzard Beach and then walk.
As far as strollers- My son is 5, and I originally wasn't planning on bringing a stroller, but have decided to rent one for our MK days. Will I need one for any of the other parks?

I would get a stroller for Epcot and AK - both are pretty stretched out and no park train or bus to get you to the other side of the park (like the train at MK). There is a boat in Epcot, but they are only open when World Showcase is open and close early evening before the fireworks show. Its also pretty slow so other than the rest you could have walked the distance the boat brings you in less time. If there was any improvements that I would like to see Disney do is to have some sort of transportation within the parks.

AK bus wasn't too bad - 15 minutes or so? It did not feel that long. Then you have the walk to the front gate and its a bit of a trek to walk back to the bus from the park.

When our DD was 5 we had decided not to get a stroller. She is petite and didn't last the first day at MK, so we rented a stroller for all our park days. She is now 7 and still small but was much more able to walk around (with plenty of breaks). Frankly, it was the humidity/heat that got to her more this time then the walking.

 

[AngiTN]

Also, can anyone give me realistic travel times to get to AK and also to the Winter Summerland mini golf? I read that you take a bus to Blizzard Beach and then walk.
As far as strollers- My son is 5, and I originally wasn't planning on bringing a stroller, but have decided to rent one for our MK days. Will I need one for any of the other parks?

We stopped bringing a stroller for DGD when she was 5 (there for her 5th birthday). She no longer used a stroller at home. It never occurred to her that she could still use one at Disney so she never complained or asked for a stroller. During the trip earlier this month (she is now 7) I heard her mention a time or two that she sure wished she was still able to use a stroller. But it still never occurred to her that she could use one at Disney, even when she saw kids obviously bigger than her in one. We take plenty of breaks and get tired ourselves. While I did love having a place to put crap when we had a stroller I sure love the freedom of movement we have by not having one. Personally, my advice is to not rent one at all, unless it becomes a major issue for your DS.

 

[Kimberly9701]

AngiTN,

We stopped using a stroller probably right around 18months-2, we have annual zoo passes and amusement park passes here, and the stroller was so annoying. I totally agree with you on the freedom of movement. To use a stroller at Disney wasn't even a consideration until friends started saying it's a must have. My fear with him is the heat, and how much we will be walking in that 7 day period. I don't want a tired grumpy kid before noon! He was born in Boca Raton, but the poor guy doesn't have my South Floridian blood.lol. We moved to the Midwest when he was a baby, and he is definitely not a fan of heat and humidity!

 

[DISNEY1975]

Thank you! From what I've read it looks we will probably be in Tuvalu. I called yesterday and was tempted to upgrade to Club Level, which would put us in Hawaii. There was 3 Theme Park Club Rooms left, so I doubt all 3 will book and I'd like to get there and see if it's ok convenience wise, before spending that much extra money. I'm hoping the grounds are smaller than they look online!lol Have a wonderful trip!!

The ground are very small No longhouse is more than a 2 minute walk to the pool/GCH. I think the 5 minute walk the 2nd poster referred to was to the TCC, but even the closest longhouse to the TCC is still about a 3+ minute walk. Im 99.9999999% certain you will love it regardless of what building you get Enjoy your trip!

 

[DISNEY1975]

As far as strollers- My son is 5, and I originally wasn't planning on bringing a stroller, but have decided to rent one for our MK days. Will I need one for any of the other parks?

At age 5, my kids didnt really need a stroller for any park during the day. It was a whole other story at night. They fell asleep during most shows that we were able to sit down and watch. I sure my husband wished we had a stroller with us. He was the one carrying them back to the monorails/parking lots!

 

[AngiTN]

AngiTN,

We stopped using a stroller probably right around 18months-2, we have annual zoo passes and amusement park passes here, and the stroller was so annoying. I totally agree with you on the freedom of movement. To use a stroller at Disney wasn't even a consideration until friends started saying it's a must have. My fear with him is the heat, and how much we will be walking in that 7 day period. I don't want a tired grumpy kid before noon! He was born in Boca Raton, but the poor guy doesn't have my South Floridian blood.lol. We moved to the Midwest when he was a baby, and he is definitely not a fan of heat and humidity!

I think kids can handle it way more than they are given credit for. Watch them on a playground sometime. They have plenty of energy to walk in the parks just as much as we do (unless you are an ultramarathon runner or something). Adults give in and let them ride too fast, IMO. Often because the adult would gladly ride if they could. But if they get tired, sit down for a bit. Taking a break helps everyone feel better. Pushing a stroller can only add to frustration. Give them credit and don't just assume you'll need a stroller. Don't bring up the choice to use one. Just go like you would normally. I bet they'll surprise you. But if you give them a choice, you can bet they'll agree to a ride. I'm certain that if DGD can handle it, any kid can. She's really lazy any other time.

 

[johnvree]

If you are on the side of the marina you have probably a 5-7 minute walk depending how fast you walk. We r here now facing the construction, it's not bad at all. We haven't heard any excessive noise in the mornings and they are done pretty early. Some random beeping but my son can be louder lol. We r in Rarotonga, we love it, it's soclose to everything. Prefect.

What construction is still going on at the Poly?

 

[AngiTN]

What construction is still going on at the Poly?

The Quiet pool has been ripped out and is being replaced