Did I do the right thing?

[mommy2mygirls]

We're going to WDW in September with the free dining discount. We were originally booked at POR in a Royal Room, but yesterday I upgraded us to the Poly. I've ALWAYS wanted to stay there, so to me it's worth the splurge. However, my mom and my stepdad are also going, so I'm not the only one splurging, they will be too. I talked to my stepdad and he gave me the go ahead, but I'm just worried we'll get there and they won't be as impressed with the resort as I am.

I've never stayed there, but I've eaten there a bunch and walked around and I love it. I also love Hawaii though, so it's kind of like two of my favorite places wrapped up in one! My mom though says she has never had any desire to go to Hawaii, so I'm not sure she feels the same about the theme as I do. We aren't telling my mom yet because she's the one that's been telling us not to upgrade, but my stepdad is paying for their portion, so he decided she didn't get a say and told me to go for it. We're thinking about surprising her when we get to the ME and get on the Poly bus instead of the POR bus.

I've only ever stayed at moderates except for one night at the GF. I have 3 kids though, so to stay in the royal rooms like originally planned, one of my kids would have to stay in my mom's room (which they were fine with). At the Poly we can all fit in our own room and not have to intrude on my mom's space.

I guess I'm just looking for people who have stayed at both, is the Poly worth it? We are going for 9 days and hope to have some down time this trip to relax and enjoy the resort. We won't be going back for at least a few years, so it's kind of meant to be a bit of a splurge trip. I don't know why I'm questioning it. I've wanted to do this forever and now that it's done, I'm second guessing.

 

[Marionnette]

We're going to WDW in September with the free dining discount. We were originally booked at POR in a Royal Room, but yesterday I upgraded us to the Poly. I've ALWAYS wanted to stay there, so to me it's worth the splurge. However, my mom and my stepdad are also going, so I'm not the only one splurging, they will be too. I talked to my stepdad and he gave me the go ahead, but I'm just worried we'll get there and they won't be as impressed with the resort as I am.

I've never stayed there, but I've eaten there a bunch and walked around and I love it. I also love Hawaii though, so it's kind of like two of my favorite places wrapped up in one! My mom though says she has never had any desire to go to Hawaii, so I'm not sure she feels the same about the theme as I do. We aren't telling my mom yet because she's the one that's been telling us not to upgrade, but my stepdad is paying for their portion, so he decided she didn't get a say and told me to go for it. We're thinking about surprising her when we get to the ME and get on the Poly bus instead of the POR bus.

I've only ever stayed at moderates except for one night at the GF. I have 3 kids though, so to stay in the royal rooms like originally planned, one of my kids would have to stay in my mom's room (which they were fine with). At the Poly we can all fit in our own room and not have to intrude on my mom's space.

I guess I'm just looking for people who have stayed at both, is the Poly worth it? We are going for 9 days and hope to have some down time this trip to relax and enjoy the resort. We won't be going back for at least a few years, so it's kind of meant to be a bit of a splurge trip. I don't know why I'm questioning it. I've wanted to do this forever and now that it's done, I'm second guessing.

I love the Poly and I think that you've chosen a lovely resort. If your stepfather is in tune with your thinking, I say that it's worth it. However, I would crunch the numbers to see if maybe it's less expensive to get a room discount instead of the free dining. When you move up the resort levels, the free dining savings compared to room discount savings becomes smaller and smaller. I know that when it's just me and my husband traveling and staying deluxe on a room-only discount, we do much better paying OOP for meals.

 

[mickeynut1]

We're going to WDW in September with the free dining discount. We were originally booked at POR in a Royal Room, but yesterday I upgraded us to the Poly. I've ALWAYS wanted to stay there, so to me it's worth the splurge. However, my mom and my stepdad are also going, so I'm not the only one splurging, they will be too. I talked to my stepdad and he gave me the go ahead, but I'm just worried we'll get there and they won't be as impressed with the resort as I am.

I've never stayed there, but I've eaten there a bunch and walked around and I love it. I also love Hawaii though, so it's kind of like two of my favorite places wrapped up in one! My mom though says she has never had any desire to go to Hawaii, so I'm not sure she feels the same about the theme as I do. We aren't telling my mom yet because she's the one that's been telling us not to upgrade, but my stepdad is paying for their portion, so he decided she didn't get a say and told me to go for it. We're thinking about surprising her when we get to the ME and get on the Poly bus instead of the POR bus.

I've only ever stayed at moderates except for one night at the GF. I have 3 kids though, so to stay in the royal rooms like originally planned, one of my kids would have to stay in my mom's room (which they were fine with). At the Poly we can all fit in our own room and not have to intrude on my mom's space.

I guess I'm just looking for people who have stayed at both, is the Poly worth it? We are going for 9 days and hope to have some down time this trip to relax and enjoy the resort. We won't be going back for at least a few years, so it's kind of meant to be a bit of a splurge trip. I don't know why I'm questioning it. I've wanted to do this forever and now that it's done, I'm second guessing.

We've never stayed at POR, but have stayed at one mod (CBR) and while CBR was nice, we LOVE the Poly. Out of all the resorts we've stayed at, the Poly is our absolute favorite and is totally worth it for us. You will love the big, spacious room, along with the daybed for an extra bed . We have loved all of the resorts we've stayed at, but there's just something about the Poly that got us hooked on that resort. We love everything about it from the tropical atmosphere to the beach to the pool.....the list goes on and on. Have a great trip and enjoy the Poly.....it's an amazing resort .

 

[minnie mum]

Marionette just saved me the trouble of posting almost exactly the same thing. Take another look at the room only discount and either paying OOP for food or paying for the dining plan as opposed to doing free dining at the Poly. You may find that the room only discount will save you more money at the deluxes.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

Thanks everyone!

I did actually look at the RO discount. For that time frame for the Poly it's only 20%. My mom and stepdad would save about $10 more with the RO, but because there are 5 of us in our room, we still save more with FD. My kids are all still fairly young (7, 5, and 4) so we are planning quite a few character meals which is what makes the DDP worth it. Otherwise, it probably would be more economical to pay OP for meals. I wish a 30 or 40% RO would have come out. That would have made the upgrade much cheaper! Thanks for the tip though!

 

[LisaCM614]

Enjoy the Poly! It is so lovely and the location is wonderful. Having 9 days you will be happy for that bit of extra space you get there as opposed to POR. The activities in the GCH during the day are really quite nice - you should have plenty of time to take advantage of them. Last trip my kids took hula lessons. So cute!

 

[tinkermommyof3]

We have stayed at both. While POR is nice, the Polynesian is awesome. The rooms are much larger. The location is great. The resort is beautiful. Don't look back with any regrets. Just look forward to your vacation!

 

[DisneyHardin]

I did the same upgrade today, except we were originally at POFQ. DH wanted the Poly and I told him it was too expensive, but decided to splurge and upgrade. I'm not going to tell him until we are on the ME bus to the Poly.

 

[sndral]

We're going to WDW in September with the free dining discount. We were originally booked at POR in a Royal Room, but yesterday I upgraded us to the Poly. I've ALWAYS wanted to stay there, so to me it's worth the splurge. However, my mom and my stepdad are also going, so I'm not the only one splurging, they will be too. I talked to my stepdad and he gave me the go ahead, but I'm just worried we'll get there and they won't be as impressed with the resort as I am.

I've never stayed there, but I've eaten there a bunch and walked around and I love it. I also love Hawaii though, so it's kind of like two of my favorite places wrapped up in one! My mom though says she has never had any desire to go to Hawaii, so I'm not sure she feels the same about the theme as I do. We aren't telling my mom yet because she's the one that's been telling us not to upgrade, but my stepdad is paying for their portion, so he decided she didn't get a say and told me to go for it. We're thinking about surprising her when we get to the ME and get on the Poly bus instead of the POR bus.

I've only ever stayed at moderates except for one night at the GF. I have 3 kids though, so to stay in the royal rooms like originally planned, one of my kids would have to stay in my mom's room (which they were fine with). At the Poly we can all fit in our own room and not have to intrude on my mom's space.

I guess I'm just looking for people who have stayed at both, is the Poly worth it? We are going for 9 days and hope to have some down time this trip to relax and enjoy the resort. We won't be going back for at least a few years, so it's kind of meant to be a bit of a splurge trip. I don't know why I'm questioning it. I've wanted to do this forever and now that it's done, I'm second guessing.

You are second guessing it because when the subject of upgrading your resort has come up your mom has been against it and now you have snuck around and gone behind her back and done it anyway. At least give her the courtesy of letting her know what you've done before you get there. How would you react if you had specifically agreed to a particular resort w/ a group and then when you arrived found they'd changed it to a more expensive place that you had no desire to stay at just because 1 person wanted to stay at the more expensive place? I suspect that would start your trip off on a bad note and IMO it's only fair to allow your mom time to get over her irritation before the trip starts.
I know there a lot of Poly fanatics on this site, and although I get the devotion, I'm not one of them. Someone such as yourself will see the positives of the Poly (location, theme, restaurants) but someone who isn't attracted to the theme will see instead that the rooms are large, but dated - they feel old and dark and the fans in the bathroom sound like a jet trying to take off. There is no place to 'relax' in the lobby as it's always super crowded w/ people, the monorail will be jammed, etc..

 

[jw50]

I did the same upgrade today, except we were originally at POFQ. DH wanted the Poly and I told him it was too expensive, but decided to splurge and upgrade. I'm not going to tell him until we are on the ME bus to the Poly.

Actually he will find out when you get in line for the Poly bus instead of the POFQ line, assuming you can get the luggage tags on without him noticing that they say Poly.

OP, you definitely did the right thing. It probably will not take your Mom very long to realize it too when you can just take the monorail or boat over to the MK and the monorail over to Epcot, watch the Electrical Water Pageant and fireworks from the Poly beach, or just go lay in a hammock on the beach for awhile. Not to mention the Dole Whip machine at Captain Cooks that will take a few of your snack credits. Or it may be the Kona coffee or Lapu Lapu's that do it.

 

[robinb]

My mom though says she has never had any desire to go to Hawaii, so I'm not sure she feels the same about the theme as I do. We aren't telling my mom yet because she's the one that's been telling us not to upgrade, but my stepdad is paying for their portion, so he decided she didn't get a say and told me to go for it. We're thinking about surprising her when we get to the ME and get on the Poly bus instead of the POR bus.

I think if you and your stepdad have the money to pay for the Poly, then you should go ahead and have fun! I really love the location and I do enjoy the resort more than POR. That being said, I would reconsider "surprising" your mom at DME. That would not go over well with me to be all ready for one resort experience and then be told that we are going someplace else. In addition, it seems to me that you are planning the surprise because you don't think she'll be on board with the Poly if you told her in advance.

 

[CoolPool]

You are second guessing it because when the subject of upgrading your resort has come up your mom has been against it and now you have snuck around and gone behind her back and done it anyway. At least give her the courtesy of letting her know what you've done before you get there. How would you react if you had specifically agreed to a particular resort w/ a group and then when you arrived found they'd changed it to a more expensive place that you had no desire to stay at just because 1 person wanted to stay at the more expensive place? I suspect that would start your trip off on a bad note and IMO it's only fair to allow your mom time to get over her irritation before the trip starts.
I know there a lot of Poly fanatics on this site, and although I get the devotion, I'm not one of them. Someone such as yourself will see the positives of the Poly (location, theme, restaurants) but someone who isn't attracted to the theme will see instead that the rooms are large, but dated - they feel old and dark and the fans in the bathroom sound like a jet trying to take off. There is no place to 'relax' in the lobby as it's always super crowded w/ people, the monorail will be jammed, etc..

The Poly is going thru a refurbishment as we speak. It will be the freshest resort at WDW at the time she is going.

We dont know these people: Mom might just laugh it off and ask for LapuLapu.

 

[Kay1]

I agree that you should at least tell your mother ahead of time. I would not want to do Disney with an angry or resentful relative.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

I think you made a great choice!!! We have never stayed at POR but have stayed at Poly 3 times and love it!! We have stayed at value, moderate, and deluxe and prefer the deluxe. I think you should definitely run the idea by your mother though!! If she wanted to stay at a different resort could they just stay elsewhere and your family stay at the Poly? I know that's probably not ideal but everyone should be happy with where they are staying on vacation. Back in 2009 we met my cousin and her family at WDW. They stayed at AKL and we stayed at CBR, it ended up working out great that way!!! We will also be at the Poly in Sept from the 5th to the 9th. When in Sept will you be there? This will be our 4th time going the beginning of Sept, we usually stay at the resort for 6 or 7 nights, and we do not find the GCH or monorail to be crowded. We also didn't find the rooms at the Poly to be dark or outdated. That being said, the longhouses are currently being refurbished and look much brighter. If you already love visiting the Poly, you will love staying there!!!

 

[robinb]

We aren't telling my mom yet because she's the one that's been telling us not to upgrade, but my stepdad is paying for their portion, so he decided she didn't get a say and told me to go for it.

You are second guessing it because when the subject of upgrading your resort has come up your mom has been against it and now you have snuck around and gone behind her back and done it anyway.

Whoops! I quoted the part in my first post and completely skimmed over the fact that the mom is against an upgrade. I guess I must have read it but didn't process it entirely. Given that little piece of information, I would say "No, you are not doing the right thing.". Your mom doesn't want to upgrade and you and your stepdad are (as sndral says) sneaking behind her back so you can stay in your *dream* resort. I totally understand wanting to stay at the Poly but everyone needs to be on board ahead of time. "Surprising" your mom with an unwanted upgrade to the Poly is, at best, rude. At worst, it could ruin everyone's *dream* vacation.

 

[Sphinx610]

Whoops! I quoted the part in my first post and completely skimmed over the fact that the mom is against an upgrade. I guess I must have read it but didn't process it entirely. Given that little piece of information, I would say "No, you are not doing the right thing.". Your mom doesn't want to upgrade and you and your stepdad are (as sndral says) sneaking behind her back so you can stay in your *dream* resort. I totally understand wanting to stay at the Poly but everyone needs to be on board ahead of time. "Surprising" your mom with an unwanted upgrade to the Poly is, at best, rude. At worst, it could ruin everyone's *dream* vacation.

Unfortunately I have to agree. If she does not want it and you cant talk to her about it, it is not going to end well. You should go stay where you want, (especially since its better for your family room wise) but if my husband did that to me, I'd be completely furious. "She doesn't get a say?" Aren't they married, sharing a room? That gives her an automatic "say". And if everyone knew and did it behind my back I'd be even more angry. Yes poly is awesome, but not on these terms. You need to tell Mom. Work it out with her so she will either be over it by the time you get there or she will be staying somewhere else- either way it will be worked out beforehand. Don't have the fight at Disney. Bc with something like this it WILL be a fight if you don't tell her ahead of time. If it was something she's always wanted and it was going to be an exciting surprise that would make her happy I'd say surprise her but this is something she has expressed that she does not want. Good luck, I hope you can work it out with her so you are both happy...

 

[chasgoose]

I don't necessarily think upgrading to the Poly is a "bad thing," but waiting to tell your mother until you board the ME is a terrible idea. I personally would feel hurt if my spouse went behind my back with my daughter (especially given that they aren't related) and did exactly what I said I didn't want to do. Even though it may be your stepdad's "money" (I've never really bought the concept of separate money in married relationships, especially in a single bread-winner family), your mom should get a say in how its spent. I would feel like people are telling me my feelings and concerns about money don't matter, which is a horrible mindset to be in upon arrival to WDW. I can almost guarantee you that waiting until that point will cast a cloud over your first few days, if not the entire trip.

Furthermore, the Poly itself is probably the most polarizing Deluxe resort on property. People who like it really like it, but people who don't like it, really don't like it. The dated Brady Bunch does Hawaii vibe doesn't do it for everyone, (the rooms are updated and Disney does a great job of maintaining the resort, but the theme is intentionally a dated one) and what is fun, romantic, and kitschy for some is tacky and overwhelming for others. Your mom is not going to be in a good place to properly appreciate it if you don't tell her about the upgrade and could potentially hate the resort regardless.

I think you should talk to your mom again, point out the great discount you are getting and the opportunity it represents to try a deluxe. Be open, however, to potentially trying a different resort. You might have a better chance of getting your mom onboard with the upgrade if you let her have a say in the resort. Let her be a part of this instead of telling her you are taking her input and then completely ignoring her and making the decision you want behind her back.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

I guess I should have clarified a little bit.

My mom isn't "against" the Poly by any means. She just doesn't think it's as gorgeous as I do - but all she's ever seen is pictures. She's never been to the actual resort. She just doesn't think it's worth the money to upgrade to any deluxe. She has actually never stayed at POR before (we have, but not her) so it's not like she was set on any resort in particular, she just thinks deluxes in general are a waste of money when all you do is sleep in your room - although I'd like to do a lot more resort time than that this time. We discussed upgrading specifically to the Poly if a good RO discount came out, but when we got FD, the bigger bang for the buck was a Mod.

She's seen all the pictures and it's not like she said "no way will I ever stay there" it's just she didn't think we should spend the extra money. Since she's not paying for it, that's why we decided to go ahead and upgrade without her knowing. As a matter of fact, she LOVED the look of CBR because she likes the hammocks on the beach and being able to just sit out on the water - something she can do at the Poly with a way better view. I'm not afraid she won't enjoy herself or won't like the resort exactly, more just that she'll think it wasn't worth the money.

I'm going to leave the ultimate decision to my stepdad as far as when to tell her. If he wants to tell her earlier, we can. I just thought it would be fun to do it on the ME. She's not the type to ruin a vacation over which hotel we're at. She's really a pretty a pretty easy going, laid back, no frills kind of person which is why I'm not sure she'd see the value in the Poly. My stepdad really wants a deluxe because he wants a balcony to sit, have a drink, and relax. He loves the idea of the beach and sitting there watching the fireworks. I'm sure she'd enjoy all of that too, she just doesn't think it's worth an extra $1600.

I should also add that she has pretty much given me free-reign in planning this trip. She told me to pick all of the ADRs, decided which parks, which day, etc. She even told me in the beginning to pick the resort. We chose POR because we've stayed there before and liked it. I've tried to get input from them on restaurants and stuff, but they keep telling me that I know WDW best and their sure they'll like whatever I decide. So I don't think she'll be hurt over not having her voice in the decision since she won't give me opinions on anything else.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

I don't necessarily think upgrading to the Poly is a "bad thing," but waiting to tell your mother until you board the ME is a terrible idea. I personally would feel hurt if my spouse went behind my back with my daughter (especially given that they aren't related) and did exactly what I said I didn't want to do. Even though it may be your stepdad's "money" (I've never really bought the concept of separate money in married relationships, especially in a single bread-winner family), your mom should get a say in how its spent. I would feel like people are telling me my feelings and concerns about money don't matter, which is a horrible mindset to be in upon arrival to WDW. I can almost guarantee you that waiting until that point will cast a cloud over your first few days, if not the entire trip.

Furthermore, the Poly itself is probably the most polarizing Deluxe resort on property. People who like it really like it, but people who don't like it, really don't like it. The dated Brady Bunch does Hawaii vibe doesn't do it for everyone, (the rooms are updated and Disney does a great job of maintaining the resort, but the theme is intentionally a dated one) and what is fun, romantic, and kitschy for some is tacky and overwhelming for others. Your mom is not going to be in a good place to properly appreciate it if you don't tell her about the upgrade and could potentially hate the resort regardless.

I think you should talk to your mom again, point out the great discount you are getting and the opportunity it represents to try a deluxe. Be open, however, to potentially trying a different resort. You might have a better chance of getting your mom onboard with the upgrade if you let her have a say in the resort. Let her be a part of this instead of telling her you are taking her input and then completely ignoring her and making the decision you want behind her back.

I personally don't get splitting money in a marriage either, but they have actually been married less time than my own husband and I have. My parents were married for 32 years before they got divorced, so for two well established adults, I guess things work differently some times.

 

[Mama Who]

I think it's really unfair to have someone looking forward to a lovely New Orleans themed resort and then sneak behind their back and switch it after they've specifically said not to.

She may *want* that theme. She may be seriously disappointed in the change. I don't think that's a nice thing to do to an adult just because they disagree with you. Let her and her husband talk it out and choose their resort without anyone being in the dark.