Back from a 7 night Poly stay

[TLinden16]

I stayed at the Poly from August 13-20. We were in room 1910 in Tokelau. We had a patio, and a view of the lagoon and the Grand Floridian. It also faced the construction at Hawaii, but it wasn't too bad for us. The room was great, and the location was awesome--easy walk to the monorail, the Great Ceremonial House, the boat dock, the pools, and the T&TC. There were three adults and two pre-teens in our room, and we never felt squished in the room.

The pools were good, although I thought they were both a bit small for the size of the resort. The volcano pool was always packed, and it was tough finding beach chairs. The quiet pool seemed to have a big crowd quite a bit as well. We only made it in the pool a few times because of the daily thunder storms.

I ate at the Kona Cafe one night, and thought the food was excellent. I started with the Sticky Wings, which were very tasty. I had beef teriakyi for my entree and it was very yummy and tender. I didn't get dessert--I was too stuffed (but I went to the MK that night and got a Dole Whip instead so I was happy).

I was a bit disappointed by Captain Cook's. There weren't that many choices for food there. I missed the variety of a food court at a moderate or value resort.

Karen

 

[corvair]

Thanks for the report...we stayed at poly in May...just loved it...we were thinking of staying at the BC next trip... which did you like better and why??? thanks..amy

 

[dianna112198]

Hey we were practically neighbors! We were there from 8/15-8/22 in room 1903!

 

[TLinden16]

Originally posted by corvair
Thanks for the report...we stayed at poly in May...just loved it...we were thinking of staying at the BC next trip... which did you like better and why??? thanks..amy

I really liked both resorts. Both resorts definitely have their pros and cons. I think the best way I can answer that question is to just write up the pros and cons of each resort as I see them.

The pros at the Poly include:

*Dining option in the resort. Captain Cooks was good for a quick bite. Kona Cafe was fantastic. Didn't try Ohana, but it looked fun.
*Monorail access to Magic Kingdom and Epcot was fantastic. It was nice to leave Epcot after Illuminations, and be able to take a monorail to the T&TC, and then walk back to our room. Very simple.
*View of the Magic Kingdom fireworks and the Electric Light Parade from the beach.
*Daily scheduled activities for the kids including arts and crafts, pool games, and free video games.

The cons at the Poly include:

*Distance to Downtown Disney, MGM, and the AK seemed pretty far. The bus rides seemed to take forever.
*The pools were very small for the resort.

The pros at the Beach Club include:
*Stormalong Bay. The best pool on Disney Property. Lots of fun to swim around and explore. I wish I could have gone there more than once.
*Character breakfast at the Cape May Cafe is the best one around in my opinion (even if they don't serve roast beef hash anymore).
*Close proximity to the Boardwalk gives you some great options for dining and entertainment. I loved being able to go to Jellyrolls at night, and then walk back to my room.
*Closest resort to the International Gateway. It's nice to be able to walk to Epcot. I got to walk into Epcot before the rope drop because I was doing a tour, and it was fun walking through Epcot with very few people around. Very surreal. I was able to get a picture of me standing behind Spaceship Earth without anyone else in the picture. That doesn't happen very often.

The cons at the Beach Club include:
*Lack of ability to fill your own mug. I didn't end up getting one because the lines always seemed long to get your mug filled. I like being able to fill my own mug. I would like to see them start using the barcoded machines they have at Blizzard Beach so that you can fill your own mug.
*Limited dining options onsite, especially for breakfast. The choices at the continental breakfast at the lounge near the reception desk was very limited--only a few choices of pastries, cold cereal, and that was about it.
*Buses were shared with too many other resorts. I rarely got a seat on a bus. They really need to seperate the Yacht & Beach Club into there own bus, with a second one for the Swan, Dolphin, and Boardwalk.

All that being said, I don't know if I would spend the money to stay at a deluxe resort again because I am one of those theme park commandos who is out of the room early, and doesn't return until late in the evening. I would love to go back to the Beach Club and just stay for a few days, and really enjoy the resort. Just relax at the pool, and stay away from the parks. Do the things that I never seem to have time for when I'm at Disney (golf, spend extra time at Downtown Disney, etc., go to Jellyrolls every night, etc.). I think next time I go to Disney, I'll spend six or seven nights at a moderate to do the parks, and then stay an extra few nights at the Beach Club and relax.

Karen

 

[TLinden16]

Originally posted by dianna112198
Hey we were practically neighbors! We were there from 8/15-8/22 in room 1903!

Wow. We probably saw each other and didn't even realize it. Another Diser--Goofy4tink--was also at the Poly, and her room was one above and one over from mine. I met her at the airport as we were on the same flight back to Boston.

Karen

 

[#1hockeymom]

Glad you're back Mrs. Linden! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thank you for your great reviews listing both the pros and the cons of both resorts!

Debbie

 

[disnemimi]

TLinden16,
Thank you for your report on the Poly. We are going in 12 days and I noticed under the Pro's you listed free video games for the kids. Wow, I did not know that. Where are the video games located?
Thanks,
Mimi

 

[TLinden16]

Originally posted by disnemimi
TLinden16,
Thank you for your report on the Poly. We are going in 12 days and I noticed under the Pro's you listed free video games for the kids. Wow, I did not know that. Where are the video games located?
Thanks,
Mimi

They have a few free video games at the Neverland Club each day at the Neverland Club. A couple of days each week at 3:00pm, they have free video games at the arcade in the resort. All's you have to do is ask one of the lifeguards stationed in the arcade to turn on a game for you, and you can play it for free.

Karen

 

[goofy4tink]

We were in 2908!!! Looks like there were a lot of us there. I feel the same way about the pool size. Really crowded and way too small for a deluxe resort. We loved the convenience of the Polynesian and being able to watch the fireworks at night from the beach. But....and it's a big but....we aren't sure we would stay there again. I really hated that you have to get soaked in the rain in order to get a meal or the monorail or the buses. I believe that all the other deluxes have covered walkways or hallways. I know the Polynesian can't change this but it was a concern for us.
We loved the Neverland Club, as usual. Loved Kona Cafe. My dh is addicted to Tonga Toast!!! The rooms were fine but it was hard looking at workmen during our afternoon breaks. And on our third day, they blocked off the lagoon side of the pool area to do more work! So you didn't have that incredible view of the lagoon from the pool. And it took away precious seating.
Bus service wasn't as good as at POR. It took forever to get to AK for EE on Friday. About 6 buses...for MGM and Special buses, passed by before an AK one got there.
And the wait for a bus at noon at Typhoon Lagoon had some people really up in arms. The wait was more than 1/2 hr. Almost 45 minutes.
But, we had a great time.

 

[disnemimi]

Thank you for your reply about the video games. We are taking our grown kids and four grandkids in 12 days. This will be our first time at the Polynesian so I am constantly looking for information. I am thinking about requesting ground floor rooms in Tokelau. Were you satisfied with your room? We need three separate rooms, non-smoking. Any other advice would be appreciated.
Thanks again,
Mimi

 

[TLinden16]

Originally posted by disnemimi
Thank you for your reply about the video games. We are taking our grown kids and four grandkids in 12 days. This will be our first time at the Polynesian so I am constantly looking for information. I am thinking about requesting ground floor rooms in Tokelau. Were you satisfied with your room? We need three separate rooms, non-smoking. Any other advice would be appreciated.
Thanks again,
Mimi

We were very happy in Tokelau. The room was no more than a five minute walk to the bus stop, monorail, Great Ceremonial House, boat dock, pools, and Ticket & Transportation Center. It really seems like the most centeral location of all the buildings. We loved it, and recommended it to my sister who checked into the Poly yesterday (don't know if she got it or not).

Karen

 

[TLinden16]

Originally posted by goofy4tink
We were in 2908!!! Looks like there were a lot of us there. I feel the same way about the pool size. Really crowded and way too small for a deluxe resort. We loved the convenience of the Polynesian and being able to watch the fireworks at night from the beach. But....and it's a big but....we aren't sure we would stay there again. I really hated that you have to get soaked in the rain in order to get a meal or the monorail or the buses. I believe that all the other deluxes have covered walkways or hallways. I know the Polynesian can't change this but it was a concern for us.
We loved the Neverland Club, as usual. Loved Kona Cafe. My dh is addicted to Tonga Toast!!! The rooms were fine but it was hard looking at workmen during our afternoon breaks. And on our third day, they blocked off the lagoon side of the pool area to do more work! So you didn't have that incredible view of the lagoon from the pool. And it took away precious seating.
Bus service wasn't as good as at POR. It took forever to get to AK for EE on Friday. About 6 buses...for MGM and Special buses, passed by before an AK one got there.
And the wait for a bus at noon at Typhoon Lagoon had some people really up in arms. The wait was more than 1/2 hr. Almost 45 minutes.
But, we had a great time.

We had luck with the buses most days. The only time we had a problem was the day we were trying to get a bus to Blizzard Beach. We waited 25 minutes. Some people waited for 40 minutes. This was at 9:00 in the morning.

Walls did pop up a few times while we were there. One popped up and blocked a walkway that I had used the day before, and I had to cut through another building to get to where I was going.

Karen

 

[nicanna]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for the great information. We will be at the Poly in October for the first time. We have also stayed at the Beach club and I agreed with all your pro's and con's. We loved it there but are looking forward to the Poly. I was wondering if your room in Tokelau was a lagoon view. We are booked for lagoon view and I know only a few rooms in Tokelau are lagoon view. The other longhouses for lagoon view are Tuvalu and Aotearoa. Thanks for the information.
Nicanna