Help!! Trying to stay cool

[Disneymomma0783]

Ok. So we are headed back to Disney this September. We have the poly booked for 9 days followed by AKL. We booked using the labour magical deal for the poly and got a room only discount for akl.
Hubby is wanting free dining now so we are looking into PORS for the first 9 days with free dining ( 2 adults, 2 kids).
Hubby and kids have no idea where we are staying (long story, my mom is taking us). We just have to pay for food.
For budget reasons he thinks my mom should switch us to a resort for FD for at least part of the trip.
I have been so psyched about staying at poly and I am now devastated thinking we will have to walk away.
We always stay moderate and are happy. Pools are important. Kids are 9 and 3.
I don't know what I'm looking for here. Maybe someone to say "hey, PORS is pretty nifty and you'll love it!" :S
And if anyone has stayed there, where would you request a room (garden view)?
Sigh....thanks for reading and humouring my first world problem over here!!!

 

[awalker1015]

Poly is my dream resort too. But we have stayed at POR and POFQ and loved both. POR is so beautiful. I would request a garden view or preferred if that's in the budget. Some of the rooms are a loooong walk from amenities.

When we went in 2013 we booked a garden non preferred room and ended up in building 26. It wasn't a bad walk and the scenery was beautiful. I really think you will like POR. It's relaxing and beautiful and feels very "Disney".

 

[typhoonlagooner]

Have you contacted your TA to see if there is availability at the Polynesian to still do a split stay? 9 nights at POR followed by the Polynesian (instead of AKL). I know there's been cancellations, us included... who just didn't want to deal with the construction/East Pool closure.

I was really looking forward to our stay... but there was just no way one pool was going cut it. After seeing a recent pool tour video and the amount of people in the pool, extremely cramped/crowded lounge chairs, and lack of shade with August weather... I was less than impressed. With no 'escape' to a quiet pool... it just wasn't going to work for us.

We're fortunate be able to go annually (if we so choose) and do look forward to returning next year once the Oasis Pool opens!

 

[Disneymomma0783]

Thank you!! It looks very beautiful and it's somewhere I HAVE wanted to try. It's just....we have poly booked!! And to walk away from it. But even the voice in the back off head is telling me free dining would be beneficial.

Poly is my dream resort too. But we have stayed at POR and POFQ and loved both. POR is so beautiful. I would request a garden view or preferred if that's in the budget. Some of the rooms are a loooong walk from amenities.

When we went in 2013 we booked a garden non preferred room and ended up in building 26. It wasn't a bad walk and the scenery was beautiful. I really think you will like POR. It's relaxing and beautiful and feels very "Disney".

 

[Disneymomma0783]

Unfortunately the labour deal only goes to the 8th of September and we want to split or stay on the 11th other wise we would absolutely do that. Right now if we switch it will be PORS and then to AKL which will be wonderful too.
It's VERY interesting you commented about the pool. I posted a question earlier about the pool as the one pool situation was making me nervous!! And oddly enough, thinking about having the extr pools at PORS was a positive to me!!

Have you contacted your TA to see if there is availability at the Polynesian to still do a split stay? 9 nights at POR followed by the Polynesian (instead of AKL). I know there's been cancellations, us included... who just didn't want to deal with the construction/East Pool closure.

I was really looking forward to our stay... but there was just no way one pool was going cut it. After seeing a recent pool tour video and the amount of people in the pool, extremely cramped/crowded lounge chairs, and lack of shade with August weather... I was less than impressed. With no 'escape' to a quiet pool... it just wasn't going to work for us.

We're fortunate be able to go annually (if we so choose) and do look forward to returning next year once the Oasis Pool opens!

 

[Madame]

Have you fully priced out the meals you will be paying oop? We have a magical deal at BC, but when FD came out I priced out POR & CBR (preferred room as we experienced POR in a standard & were not impressed with the distance to amenities).

We have 6 TS booked (only 2 character meals though at Cape May & Ohana) and all the rest QS/ breakfast in the room. I priced out the meals through http://www.distripplanner.com. We are only paying about $250 more for BC than POR or CBR.

Maybe price it out first. If the difference would have been close to $1000 I'd have switched to FD.

 

[DG24]

Why can't you do the free dining with poly, I don't get what the problem is, we are going in aug/sept poly is still showing rooms with free dining at our times, is it full your week or am I missing something else.

 

[Madame]

Why can't you do the free dining with poly, I don't get what the problem is, we are going in aug/sept poly is still showing rooms with free dining at our times, is it full your week or am I missing something else.

They'll have to pay rack rate for the room. The magical deal is deeply discounted - comparable to mod pricing.

 

[dansdad]

Why can't you do the free dining with poly, I don't get what the problem is, we are going in aug/sept poly is still showing rooms with free dining at our times, is it full your week or am I missing something else.

You might be able to, but if you do FD at Poly you are going to pay full rack rate for the room which is insane. The magical deal the OP has is a very large % off the room at Poly. I believe it's in the 40-45% off putting it in the same range as a Moderate room nightly rate.

 

[Aerinha]

Where does your mom want to stay? If she is paying and the deal on the Poly makes it cheaper than rack rate at a mod, she might not want to eat the extra cost so you can have FD. Or she might just want the Poly.

 

[Babsy]

Ok. So we are headed back to Disney this September. We have the poly booked for 9 days followed by AKL. We booked using the labour magical deal for the poly and got a room only discount for akl.
Hubby is wanting free dining now so we are looking into PORS for the first 9 days with free dining ( 2 adults, 2 kids).
Hubby and kids have no idea where we are staying (long story, my mom is taking us). We just have to pay for food.
For budget reasons he thinks my mom should switch us to a resort for FD for at least part of the trip.
I have been so psyched about staying at poly and I am now devastated thinking we will have to walk away.
We always stay moderate and are happy. Pools are important. Kids are 9 and 3.
I don't know what I'm looking for here. Maybe someone to say "hey, PORS is pretty nifty and you'll love it!" :S
And if anyone has stayed there, where would you request a room (garden view)?
Sigh....thanks for reading and humouring my first world problem over here!!!

Ok, I understand that going from the Poly to a moderate might be a little bit of a disappointment. However, I would be concerned in September about construction impacting my enjoyment of the Poly, anyway. So, I would plan to go to the Poly at a later date and begin to get excited about the great resort that POR is and all the fun things that I can do there. POR has a really convenient boat to DD, a carriage ride and a Yeehaa Bob show to go see. If I were feeling a little low about 'downgrading' I might try to splurge and get a Royal Room or preferred room (depending upon whether I preferred AB or MB). If you are going with a standard garden view room, then Magnolia Terrace is really beautiful with a lovely walk to the main building and is quite convenient to the main pool. We loved our rooms there. I have opted to stay in POR on several occasions when I could have stayed in a deluxe, but just wanted to stay in POR again. The lush foliage and walkways are very special in POR. You just don't get this southern charm anywhere else in WDW. And the rooms are simply lovely in MB and very cute in AB. The value that you get staying in this resort, especially with FD, is tremendous.

I was so disappointed when I went on my first trip to WDW with my grand daughters and there was construction at the Poly so we decided that we should stay elsewhere. I felt like it was the only place that would be perfect for us. We ended up staying at the CR, which I was convinced that I would NOT LIKE. I was not a fan of airport theming! Imagine my surprise when our stay at the CR was totally magical and memorable. I learned that I LOVED staying at the CR. I am very happy that we stayed there. It was so convenient to be able to walk to the MK.

Yes, the Poly would be lovely, perhaps. However, POR is also incredibly beautiful. If you haven't stayed there before, you will be surprised at how lovely it is. If you have been here before, then you know that it is a very special place to stay. It feels very deluxe.

Have fun planning your trip. I truly hope that it is magical for you all. Remember that the magic primarily comes from the people that you are enjoying your vacation with, not the room that you sleep in. Enjoy the special joy of this vacation with your family wherever you stay.....Good luck!

 

[Disneymomma0783]

The poly and AKL are both her dream resorts. She is willing to goto alder are for free dining for the first part....she just wants everyone to be happy. She said she will be happy anywhere, she's with her "babies"!
We don't have a lot of ADRs as we were expecting to pay OPP. My husband is just concerned that paying OPP for the two full weeks will be too much.
It's tough...free dining makes sense, but yeah, the rate we have on the poly...it's the price of a rack rate mod.

 

[Disneymomma0783]

Ok, I understand that going from the Poly to a moderate might be a little bit of a disappointment. However, I would be concerned in September about construction impacting my enjoyment of the Poly, anyway. So, I would plan to go to the Poly at a later date and begin to get excited about the great resort that POR is and all the fun things that I can do there. POR has a really convenient boat to DD, a carriage ride and a Yeehaa Bob show to go see. If I were feeling a little low about 'downgrading' I might try to splurge and get a Royal Room or preferred room (depending upon whether I preferred AB or MB). If you are going with a standard garden view room, then Magnolia Terrace is really beautiful with a lovely walk to the main building and is quite convenient to the main pool. We loved our rooms there. I have opted to stay in POR on several occasions when I could have stayed in a deluxe, but just wanted to stay in POR again. The lush foliage and walkways are very special in POR. You just don't get this southern charm anywhere else in WDW. And the rooms are simply lovely in MB and very cute in AB. The value that you get staying in this resort, especially with FD, is tremendous.

I was so disappointed when I went on my first trip to WDW with my grand daughters and there was construction at the Poly so we decided that we should stay elsewhere. I felt like it was the only place that would be perfect for us. We ended up staying at the CR, which I was convinced that I would NOT LIKE. I was not a fan of airport theming! Imagine my surprise when our stay at the CR was totally magical and memorable. I learned that I LOVED staying at the CR. I am very happy that we stayed there. It was so convenient to be able to walk to the MK.

Yes, the Poly would be lovely, perhaps. However, POR is also incredibly beautiful. If you haven't stayed there before, you will be surprised at how lovely it is. If you have been here before, then you know that it is a very special place to stay. It feels very deluxe.

Have fun planning your trip. I truly hope that it is magical for you all. Remember that the magic primarily comes from the people that you are enjoying your vacation with, not the room that you sleep in. Enjoy the special joy of this vacation with your family wherever you stay.....Good luck!

Thank you!! I fully agree, we will have that "magic" anywhere. That's how my mom feels as well.
She wants everyone to be happy and I don't want her to be disappointed. She is still beyond excited to be at AKL though.
Thank you as well for the location suggestion!! we have never stayed there so I am at a bit of a loss when looking at the map!

 

[jennab]

Unfortunately the labour deal only goes to the 8th of September and we want to split or stay on the 11th other wise we would absolutely do that. Right now if we switch it will be PORS and then to AKL which will be wonderful too.
It's VERY interesting you commented about the pool. I posted a question earlier about the pool as the one pool situation was making me nervous!! And oddly enough, thinking about having the extr pools at PORS was a positive to me!!

They give you 5 day leeway on the deal . We are doing the Labor Day deal from 9/6-9/13. Our TA said they can do up to 5 days before and after. Check it out!

 

[DG24]

We are military, so I don't know about the Labor Day discount but military is 40%, and we are going Labor Day. We figured, out military verses F's, at poly, contemp, Floridian, beach, Yatch, POR, CBR. And in all the deluxe hotels, the FDwas less than the military room discount and adding the dining plan. So unless you are going to eat a lot less than what the dining plan offers by paying out of pocket, I still don't see why paying rack rate with free dining which is cheaper than the 40% off room rate with the dining plan add, does not make sense. And I am talking $1000 cheaper to have FD at poly than to have the 40% off. The onlyhotel this did not work for was the grand Floridian, that one came out cheaper to do the room discount by $1000.

 

[Lucius Best]

Can't comment on free dining deals, just chiming in that POR is our favorite moderate resort, for the theming and atmosphere, it has a nice pool, and the best food court. I have never paid extra for a preferred room, theme room, or any kind of view (there's no balconies, so view is kind of meaningless). If you stay in the Magnolia mansions, it is a short pleasant walk across the island to the main buildings. Yes, if you end up in certain Alligator Bayou buildings, you could have a longer hike.

 

[thisismyusername]

OP, I truly think that if you're already lamenting the switch, you're going to look across the lagoon every time you land in the MK and wish you were at the Poly instead. I'd stay put.

 

[Marionnette]

The Poly and AKL are your mother's dream resorts. She got a great deal on the price for those resorts and she is the one paying. IMO, you should tell your husband that's where your mother booked (since he doesn't know right now) and let him know that you will be paying OOP for your dining. There are plenty of ways to cut costs on food without starving...breakfasts in the room, bringing your own water and snacks into the parks, sharing entrees, grocery delivery from Garden Grocer or WeGoShop, etc.

However, POR is beautiful and you will love it if you decide to stay there with *free* dining (assuming that there is availability).

 

[disneyseniors]

Ok. So we are headed back to Disney this September. We have the poly booked for 9 days followed by AKL. We booked using the labour magical deal for the poly and got a room only discount for akl.
Hubby is wanting free dining now so we are looking into PORS for the first 9 days with free dining ( 2 adults, 2 kids).
Hubby and kids have no idea where we are staying (long story, my mom is taking us). We just have to pay for food.
For budget reasons he thinks my mom should switch us to a resort for FD for at least part of the trip.
I have been so psyched about staying at poly and I am now devastated thinking we will have to walk away.
We always stay moderate and are happy. Pools are important. Kids are 9 and 3.
I don't know what I'm looking for here. Maybe someone to say "hey, PORS is pretty nifty and you'll love it!" :S
And if anyone has stayed there, where would you request a room (garden view)?
Sigh....thanks for reading and humouring my first world problem over here!!!

Is the free dining at POR a sure thing???? We tried to get fd at POR in November, and POR was not on the resort list for fd. Last year it was not on the list either, so be sure to get this clarified before booking. We always stay at POR, and booked it without fd this year! A first for us. We love the atmosphere, tropical setting of alligator bayou, food court, boat to DTD, and just the whole atmosphere. I know that type of thing isn't for everyone, but it suits us. It is a huge resort, and we stayed bldg. 26 last time too, but it was manageable. If you like a more luxurious feel to your settings, I would book the mansions with their sculptured lawns, more refined setting. It's still beautiful, either way. I would not be afraid of booking POR, but you need to make sure it has fd if that is important to you. My daughter and family stayed at the Poly last Nov. while we stayed at POR, and they were disappointed in the Poly, ie: outdated room, poor housekeeping and service. The whole family wished they were at POR with us, for what it's worth. You'll have fun either way

 

[disneyseniors]

Oh, I forgot to mention about the Poly last year. The construction was a mess and certainly took away from the whole tropical atmosphere, not to mention the new bungalows on the beach. I, too, always dreamed of staying at the Poly since it was first built! Now, after seeing and experiencing it, I wouldn't trade POR for anything. However, being on the monorail system was a plus, as was Kona. The monorail system is scheduled for maintenance or something, I think, while we are there in November. Just wanted to be honest about how we all felt about the Poly. I don't know, is the construction going to be other by Sept? If not, I'd rethink it. The grandkids were disappointed with the little, crowded pool at the poly. They did get a free day at blizzard beach due to the construction! Hope this helps. I'd just hate to think you had your hopes up about the Poly and had them crushed like my family did.