First stay at the Poly...Help

[MouseEars]

We are having our first trip to WDW in April and staying at the Poly. It will be 4 adults and 2 children aged 6 and 3.

Any advice????


We have a lagoon view room non smoking. Can you see the magic Kingdon from all those room. We were also told that it had a balcony. We are using CAA for the discount on the room. Does that mean we will get a crappy room?? I am hoping that with booking this far in advance we would get a good room?????yes???no????

Anything that are abolute "Must do's" with children???

 

[cara loves the poly]

If you want a magic kingdom view, you want Tahiti, BEAUTIFUL!!!!! The kids can watch the fireworks from their beds while you sit on the belcony!!!! Have a magical time! If you type polynesian in the search bar under search this forum, you will find more than enough info.

 

[cara loves the poly]

Also, check out the Tikiman website!!!!

 

[HeathyChanJellicle]

I haven't been to the Poly in years, but I loved it, seriously, probably my third favorite hotel! The pool area does wonders for small children, I know, I was there from when I was 7 to about 11. Lazing on the beach is awesome. The lobby is wonderful, and the moneral is so conveniant.

The Character breakfest is a must do at the Poly. I cannot remember the name, but guest services will know. It is wonderful. I loved it. There is also Mickey's Louhou which was great.

The whole resort itself is wonderful, and having a lagoon view is great. I don't know if they still have the waterfront parade, but if they do, it is always fun to go and watch that... but it may be gone. :/

Captain Cook's food court is wonderful, I always ate there. xD

 

[helenk]

There is also Mickey's Louhou which was great.

Mickey's Luau was cancelled several years ago.

 

[tiggersmom2]

You want TAHITI!!!!!!!

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Tahiti has the best views, in my opinion. Have a great time!

 

[HeathyChanJellicle]

Mickey's Luau was cancelled several years ago.

...sorry... the last time i went was when i was like 8... i have been there for a while....

*sighs* forget it.

 

[Stitches]

Lagoon view guarantees a view of the Seven Seas Lagoon. You can request a view of Magic Kingdom, but this is not guaranteed.
FYI, you could get garden view concierge for about 30 more per night, maybe less with your CAA discount. You wouldn't have the lagoon view, but you'd have concierge services, lots of free drinks and snacks and you'd be guaranteed to be in the Hawaii building in a remodeled room.
I don't think the date you booked your room has any influence on what room you get. I've known people to book a year in advance and not get what they requested! I also don't think the price you paid has any influence, but this is just a guess. Some websites suggest faxing requests to the room assigner a few days before your arrival, as that is when they make the assignments. Others say these just go into the trash. I've sent those faxes and had very good luck with the room assignments, so I think it's worth a try.
Are there any room assigners our there who can give us the inside scoop?
Happy planning!

 

[MouseEars]

Very interesting.. Thank you all for your replies

 

[kda]

Just an FYI, so you know what to expect ..... most of the Poly buildings are 3 story and only have a balcony on the top floor. The 2nd floor has a slider that opens, but a rail keeps you from going out (and there's no where to go, anyway). There's also the ground floor, which many people with young children like because the kids can play on the grass and you can sit on the patio and watch them while someone is napping inside the room. There may be slightly different balcony set-up in a few of the buildings. At one time, the 3rd floor rooms were the smoking rooms, but I'd be surprised that every building has it blocked off entirely for smokers now.

Over the 20+ years that we've been going to Disney, the trees at the MK have grown, as well as the trees on the islands in the lake and at the Poly. I think this has diminished the view of the MK and the castle, compared to what it used to be. But it's still there and there's still a view. Like any resort, you could have a tree right outside your room.

The Poly is wonderful, and the rooms are some of the largest, which will be helpful for your large group. It's so convenient to get to the MK via monorail or boat, and if your room is near the TTC, you can walk to the monorail to Epcot. I think that just riding on the monorail and the boats is an adventure itself. We love the little water sprites that you can rent ----- or rent a canopy boat for your entire party and have a relaxing time out on the lake (be sure to go "behind" the Contemporary and see WL and FW).

As others have said, when you book and the type of discount don't seem to have much to do with the room you get. Some of it is when you arrive and if you're willing to wait for a room that might not be ready. Some of it seems to be pixie dust. There's always the option of asking to move, if your room doesn't meet your needs. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[LadyLt]

We have a lagoon view room non smoking. Can you see the magic Kingdon from all those room. We were also told that it had a balcony. We are using CAA for the discount on the room. Does that mean we will get a crappy room?? I am hoping that with booking this far in advance we would get a good room?????yes???no????

I want to make a comment here. I work at the front desk of a Disney resort. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHEN you reservation was made. I have had people stand and scream at me about something they did not like and shouting about how long ago a reservation was made. The date on the reservation does NOT come into play at all in blocking rooms. What matters are the empty and available rooms on the day you arrive. At the resort, we do not see the reservations until three to five days before arrival. Blocking is most often done two to three days out. But not all rooms are blocked. Some freedom is left to the cashier and also to have ready rooms upon guests arrival.

As far was discounts go, it does not matter much in room blocking. Basically, it comes down to rooms available, length of stay, number of guests, and other factors. That said, if I have one really great room and two reservations to fill, I am more likely to give it to the guest paying full rate than someone getting a stiff discount.

 

[Stitches]

Thank you LadyLt for that excellent information! Can you speak regarding the value of faxing room requests? I'd like to do this if it will help my cause (i.e. I'd like a ground floor room at the Polynesian), but I don't want to be an annoyance to the staff.

 

[LadyLt]

Thank you LadyLt for that excellent information! Can you speak regarding the value of faxing room requests? I'd like to do this if it will help my cause (i.e. I'd like a ground floor room at the Polynesian), but I don't want to be an annoyance to the staff.

It depends on the resort. There were so many people sending in faxes and so many rooms to block that some resort room assigners have just quit looking at faxes. I personally find them a bother.

I used to work at the Polynesian. I personally LOVE the ground floor rooms there. But for some reason most people request the rooms with balconies. So for that reason, I don't think you will have trouble getting your request. If you made your reservation through Disney Reservation Center (by phone or on-line), just call back and ask them to add a request for the ground floor room. Any request made to the DRC will show up in the reservation. It will be visible to the room assigner and the cashier at check in. Faxes are just a piece of paper that could be lost.

Remember a request is just a request. It will be granted when possible, but the resorts never make promises. But I think your request for ground floor is probably pretty easy.

 

[Stitches]

LadyLt - Thank you again!