Best GV rooms at the Poly?

[fishcall]

I have visited Tikiman's most informative site and was very impressed. I am going to surprise my wife and 2yr old daughter with a trip to the Poly 1/7-12/04. With a 2yr old, I'm betting that most of the Electric Parade and Fireworks watching will be done from our room. I currently have a garden view room reserved for 5 nights for $1600 including the Ultimate Hopper Pass. Is this a good price or should I continue looking between now and then? Oh, the most helpful lady at reservations said that I could request (not guaranteed) a specific room so I check out the map, and it looked to me that the best garden view room to view the night lights was room 3915 in the Tokelou Longhouse. It looks to have an unobstructed view across the beach in front of the Tahiti Lonehouse. Do you know this room or is there a better one? Should I spend the extra $300 for a lagoon view room? the extra $600 for conceriege lagoon view? Is it best to try and upgrade when checking in or the costs the same no matter when you upgrade? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[fishcall]

can anyone else add advice....

 

[callaghan]

I am not Tikiman but here goes,
My Dh and 2 DDs, 4 and 1 are going to the Polynesian in two weeks. YAAH. We opted for concierge for the convenience. With two small children the idea of a place to go to get a drink and some down time was what sealed the deal. Also the extra help form concierge abour PS's also appealed to us. With two small children, we will take any help we can get, even if we have to pay for it!
We spent the extra $ for the convenience. As far as I understand, you should be able to see the EWP and the fireworks from the concierge room.
My advice, go concierge. This is your vacation too. THe idea of a glass of wine on the patio or balcony when the little ones are sleeping is lovely.
Good luck with your decision.
callie

 

[goofy4tink]

HI. That room, if I'm remembering correctly, does have a nice view. Remember, it is just a short walk to the beach. Just down the outside stairs and over the sidewalk. If you don't have any issues with the extra money, I would go with the lagoon view. Concierge is terrific, but there are both garden and lagoon views there too. If you were going to walk to the lounge at the concierge longhouse to watch the EWP, then I would say you're probably better off saving the money and staying non-concierge, lagoon view. Hope that makes sense. I would have loved to stay in Tahiti but it was being used for concierge during our visit. Will have to try that longhouse in the future.

 

[fishcall]

Thanks. If you request a certain longhouse, what are the chances of getting your request? It will be in the second week of January.

 

[Tikiman]

3915 is a good room and unobstructed look towards the Contemporary but if you want to see the fireworks and EWP from a garden view room the only place you can do that is on the other side of Tokelau (rooms 3913-3910 or 2913-2910) all other garden view rooms will not have a fireworks view but lagoon views will. Also staying concierge does not guarantee a view of the lagoon. You must be in a lagoon view room in the concierge building.

I would not suggest trying to upgrade when you get there if you want a lagoon view room. They are limited in number and most of the time are booked. They were overbooked one year when we went so they had to put us in a concierge lagoon view room. We have been hooked ever since.

Aloha

Steve

 

[robinb]

Welcome to DIS!!!

I think that asking for a specific room will only lead to disappointment . Instead, list your requests in order of preference. I would fax your request about 5 days prior to check-in. Tell the room assigner what you would like (non-smoking, partial lagoon view, near the beach, etc) and select a few longhouses that fit the bill. You have a very, very small chance of getting a Garden View longhouse with a Partial Lagoon View. If you accept that in advance, you will be much happier with the room that you actually get.

As for your rate ... I think it's almost always cheaper to book the hotel room and your passes separately. The recent Fairy Tale package was an exception. Since there are no specials out as of yet, I would stick with the package you have and keep your ear to the ground. WDW offers the Sunshine Getaway Package which is always a hit (http://wdwig.com/sshine.htm). Also, there may be some good rates offered as your dates get closer. Check back here or at www.mousesavers.com for the latest rate information.

Good luck! You'll have a great time at WDW and the Polynesian .