I love the Polynesian!!! I'm hooked!

[*Fantasia*]

It was suppose to be a budget trip. We were suppose to stay at POP for 4 nights. We ended up staying there for 1 night and 2 nights at WL and... we finally did it!! We stayed at the Poly for our last night!! We did the garden view. We were in Aotearoa bldg facing the monorail, on the 3rd floor.
The other side were facing the beach. Is this bldg half gv half lg? They didn't have Samoa 3rd floor facing the pool. The front desk CM was going to put us in Fiji, but I guess he changed his mind.

NO musty smell. The room is very clean and very nice! It definitely have the island feel to it. The pool is great!! The kids didn't want to go down the slide. The whole ground is just exotic! Very beautiful!

While staying at WL on our last night, we went to Poly to have dinner at O'hana. MMmmmmm....DELICIOUS!! The food was very tasty! It was GOOD! My daughter joined with the other girls do the hula hoop. She also did her hula dance and she did the coconut race. She hula hoop twice, she likes doing that. She got leis too!

What was even more "magical" about this dinner was that we came at the right timing. When we got our dessert, it was time for the Wishes. It was spectacular! The best part was we got one of the best seat! We heard the music from the park. It was piped in.

Before we did the O'hana (one and a half hour wait), we walked around the ground a little bit and let my children play on the sand. And I asked my children if they want to stay here. They said yes. So... we went to the lobby and used their phone and made the one night reservation.

We had our swim wear (day bag) packed. We had WL transfer our luggage to Poly. We took the bus to MK and took the monorail to Poly. We checked in. The room was ready at 11am, we got to our room and checked the room. We went down stairs to eat at the food court, then back to the room to change to our swimsuit and down we went swimming. The kids again played in the sand. We went back in the lobby to ask the front desk something. My daughter made a wrist lei and an ankle lei. I made an ankle lei too while my son watches the tv.

We went back to our room to change our clothes. Took shower. Went back out to Kona Cafe. Food....DELICIOUS!! I ordered steak! medium well.

We walked around a little bit more in the lobby. We got our picture taken with the ukulele lady. She knew I was from the PI (Philippine Island). She has been living in US for about 8 years now. She was born in the Big Island, but grew up in Oahu. Her family is still there. She visits Hawaii yearly. She is very fun to talk to. She still has the "Hawaiian" in her. She still got her "pigeon talk." She is a lovely woman.

We wanted to go back swimming but we were too tired. We just wanted to enjoy our room and relax. I wanted to hang out around 9:30pm to see the fireworks, but just couldn't make it. But that's okay. I can just imagine how beautiful the fireworks from the beach. We wanted to also walk to GF, but didn't make it, just too tired.

It was just awesome to see the monorail passing our room. But when the night fell, I noticed the noise from the monorail. It got too me a little bit. Next time I will ask for the 3rd floor any bldg and NOT facing the monorail.

They can have a little better customer service. Why is it so hard for them to smile and greet you. I am talking about the front desk and the concierge desk. Besides the bell service guys, the front desk CMs are the first ones the guests interact with. They should give their very best of welcoming them to their resort. No aloha... not a smile. Not a "thank you for staying with us." I have to thank them for giving MY business! I got the leis. "Here is the leis for your family." Very casual. I could have just took it from the desk. But he knew I wanted one cause I was looking at them. No big deal about the leis. I got a couple here from Maui. I got one too for my head.

Everything else was just wonderful! I love love the room. I love love the grounds. I love the pool and the beach. I enjoy seeing the GF and the CR from afar. I of course was very happy to see Cindy's castle.

I love the monorail and I love the boat ride. I didn't get the chance to use the bus service. I am sure it is fine.

I am glad we stayed here even for one night. I get to try it. And now I did, now I know what to expect on our next trip. And I can't wait for our August trip!!

I think this resort is for me!! I love that tropical island feeling! And I am a tropical kind of girl. Fits me just fine. I think I'm in love with this resort! I think it is now my new favorite deluxe resort!

 

[Pinnie]

Sounds like you had a great trip! I was at VWL last weekend and am going back Aug 17 - 21 to SSR.

pinnie

 

[Alicnwondrln]

sounds like you had a great trip
i am very happy you and your kids had a great time

 

[milmore104]

Glad you had such a Magical trip. Sometimes it's more fun to do the unexpected then the predicted!

 

[*Fantasia*]

Glad you had such a Magical trip. Sometimes it's more fun to do the unexpected then the predicted!

You are so right. Everytime I do something spontaneous, it just makes things more fun and magical.

Thanks guys. We did had a magical trip.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Hi Fantasia! So glad you had a magical trip! I appreciate your Poly review. I have always wondered if I would like the Poly...but since I know you love the WL ...well, I know I can trust your tastes in resorts! LOL!

Thanks for sharing...hope you are busy planning your NEXT WDW adventure!

 

[scanne]

Hi Fantasia!

Welcome back.

I am curious about your room in Aotearoa. Was it the old decor or the new decor? Do you know if they're rehabbing one floor at a time or an entire longhouse at a time? And one more...was Captain Cook's in its new location or old? I know this was your first time there, so if you're not sure, that's ok. I'm really curious about Aotearoa and the room decor. Thank you! Glad you're looking forward to your August trip. I think our trip and yours overlaps by 2 days. We're checking out on Aug. 3rd.

Thanks again!

Anne

 

[MOMOFMNM]

That is sooo cool!!! You have really made me excited about our trip...I was really nervous about laying down that kind of money for a "hotel room" so your post has made me feel pretty good about my decision...I have heard the CM's at the Poly are fantastic and several have been long time Disney CM's...maybe they were newbie CM's or something?? I know it is the people behind the desk that can give you a first impression of Disney or the resort so a nicer response was probably warranted...either way sounds great!! I am glad you treated your family to that special night! How exciting!! Glad to hear Ohana is good too, we have PS there for our trip. So they do have leis at check in huh?? Awesome...did you get towel animals by chance? (Just asking please no debate!) Did you have any "Specialty" drinks at the poolside?? I can't wait!!! I bet you are just itching to get back there!! AAHH if only I could do the world twice in a season.... Glad you all had fun. How were the parks/crowds for ya? Weather??

 

[reedycreek]

glad you had fun, the polynesian is one of the best parts of the WDW resort, in my opinion.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Hi Anne. The room is not the new model. It is the same as the ones you see on the picture here on the DIS or allearsnet.com (I think that's that the website). But from what I have heard that all the rooms were just renovated last year. I just don't know which bldg got renovated first. Even so... the rooms is just super duper clean and very very nice! And there is no musty smell.

The toilet, the sink and the tub is all in one bathroom. The toilet is somewhat hidden from the sink. It's kind of behind the sink. So it's like there's a divider from the sink/tub from the toilet. So if you were taking a shower, you wouldn't be able to see the toilet or if you were washing your hands at the sink, you can't see the toilet. I hope you guys can visualize what I am describing here. Anyways... you didn't ask about the bathroom here. I like the lay out of this bathroom, it's different! But nice!

I am so glad that we got a balcony. We get to sit and watch the monorail pass by and just look at the tropical plants that we don't have here in the north state. But as we got tired and sleepy, the sound of the monorail kind of got to me. I don't think I would want to stay facing the monorail again. Don't get me wrong. I loved our room and the location, but when at night, I would like a quiet night. It wasn't that loud, but you can hear it a little, and it got kind of old hearing it over and over again.

My kids just loved the day bed! My son claimed that that is where he was going to sleep as soon as we got to the room. Well... he fell asleep in bed. Maybe next time he will sleep on the day bed. We definitely had plenty of room! I was always used to the moderate and the value resort, so staying here made a huge difference for us!

It is definitely worth it to us! The monorail and the boat ride is just fantastic! You have two great great restaurants. Even the food court have some great food! I tried the bbq pork sandwich... it was good! I don't know if Capatain Cook's is in the new location. But if it isn't.... well... this place is also fabulous! This place is very clean and the food is also good here too. It is a very charming little food court. Again... I am used to some big food court, but this is very nice and quaint.

I walked around the grounds and I didn't see any renovation going on. But then again the renovation would be inside the building, so I wouldn't know. But then again, I am sure there would be a truck there with new furnitures or carpet or curtains or paint.... But didn't see any.


Hi MOMOFMNM, no I didn't try any speciality drinks. I don't drink. So I just had pop or hot tea. But I am sure the drinks here are wonderful.

Besides the front desk Cms and the concierge Cms... everyone is very friendly and nice. I easily got used to saying "Aloha" and "Mahalo." I kind of missed saying that actually. I have been to Maui twice and I just love hearing and saying those words. It is so very pretty and kind of romantic saying it.

When we were there to eat at O'hana, the pool, the grounds weren't so crowded and not a lot of folks at the lobby. But when we checked in the following day, the lobby got busy and the pool got somewhat crowded and there was no long chairs available. I was lucky enough I found a chair that is available to put our stuff in. But didn't get a chance to lay out. The pool was very nice. I like the 0 depth entry. I went and checked out the quiet pool. Well... it was quiet. Mostly adults there. Nothing to brag about. So if quiet is what you are looking for, this is the place to be. There is not much action happening here.

There's always crowds at MK. This is our 3rd visit to Disney this year. And it's always crowded, but never elbow to elbow. Epcot was pretty crowded to me. We were at Arkarush (oh I can't remember how you spell it) for late lunch. Well... they were turning away a lot of folks who are walk ins. My advice is to please make your lunch and dinner PS now to all the parks before you head down. It is going to be very crowded and busy. To keep you insane, have a reservation. I am glad we did! Anyways... this restaurant here at Norway is okay. The food is nothing to even write about. We actually wanted to eat here for my daughter's sake so she can meet all the Princesses. Even my son said to me, "let's not go there ever again!" The service was excellent and the Princesses they are just lovely as they can be. But the food...well... they are edible!

The weather... the rain is just off and on off and on all day throughout our stay. We spend most of our time at the resort. I am terrified of the thundstorm/lightning and I just didn't want to get stuck in the park if it ends up raining all day. Bring your own ponchos. It's $7 at WDW. But when we left this morning. The CM said that it's suppose to start getting nicer and should be drier he said. GO FIGURE! But that's okay, we are heading back in August and hopefully it will be nice when we go back agian. The CM at WL did say that they are getting a lot more rain than they normally do and he said that it takes care of the drought, which is good.

Anymore questions? Ahhhh... Polynesian!!

 

[Lives4Disney]

Fantasia I enjoyed reading your review! I can tell you were so excited to have made the change to the Polynesian at the last minute. I absolutely know what you mean about those spontaneous decisions sometimes being the most fun.

I stayed at the Poly last summer for the first time and while we enjoyed many things, we also were dismayed by a lot of the CMs attitudes. We stayed in the concierge building and weren't impressed with the staff. Just not friendly - excactly as you say - no "hi" "aloha" not a smile - nothing for a greeting. We had a couple less than magical moments there with the staff. Enough said.

We will be going to WDW in August, too, and I have reservations at the Norway princess lunch. I was excited to get them - we had breakfast there on our last stay and it was yummy. What was for lunch??? Was it served family style or menu? What about it wasn't so great for you?? Just curious.

Thanks much for sharing!

Lives4Disney

 

[*Fantasia*]

Hi Fantasia! So glad you had a magical trip! I appreciate your Poly review. I have always wondered if I would like the Poly...but since I know you love the WL ...well, I know I can trust your tastes in resorts! LOL!

Thanks for sharing...hope you are busy planning your NEXT WDW adventure!

WL is breathtaking!! I will always love WL! As long as I get my courtyard view! I'm glad to know that you can trust my taste in resorts! Only if you like the tropical island, then I think you will also like Poly! You should give it a try! You screen name might change to WLandPolylover!!

 

[Jungle Skipper]

yeaa!!!! glad you had a grea time! I too love the Poly!

Jungle Josh

 

[epcotfan]

Cool trip report. Glad you enjoyed your stay

 

[imatoad]

You all should contact the Poly mgmt. concerning the "mood" of the front desk or any other CM's, I think they would want to know. And don't let that deter you from staying at the Poly, I've always gotten an aloha from most CM's, unfortunately there will always be someone somewhere, even at Disney, that just might not be up to the task.

 

[Frances999]

WooHoo!! I am so glad you had a magical trip! The Polynesian is unbeatable.....roll on August

 

[BCV23]

Glad you had fun at the Polynesian. Now you're hooked.

It is too bad about your experience at the front desk. We've always had friendly CMs at check in (around 30 times), but I've seen a couple of other reports like yours. Then one day a trip or two, I had a question for a CM at guest services. I think she had swallowed a lemon! The CMs at checkin weren't busy either and I smiled at them and the 2 or 3 there in the am also looked at me like I had two heads! This was such a different experience for me but at least I know what fellow DISsers are talking about. Maybe there is someone who is a bad apple and gets everyone cranky. Dunno. I hope your next checkin is cheerier. Odds are it will be.

BTW, has the sign been changed from Guest Services to Concierge?

Going back so soon......lucky you!

 

[*Fantasia*]

BTW, has the sign been changed from Guest Services to Concierge?

I didn't pay too much attention, but from what I can remember it says concierge. I don't remember the words on the sign that says Guest Services.

We will be going to WDW in August, too, and I have reservations at the Norway princess lunch. I was excited to get them - we had breakfast there on our last stay and it was yummy. What was for lunch??? Was it served family style or menu? What about it wasn't so great for you?? Just curious.

I brought the menu home. It's still in the luggage in my car! I haven't packed yet. I will tell you exactly what we had. I'm sure you will like the food there, it's just me and I am kind of a picky eater. Your family will definitely enjoy meeting all the wonderful Princesses. I will post again for the menu, I am going out to see the parade with my family!

Happy 4th!!!

 

[poohbear2]

Thanks so much for your review! It got me all excited for our trip. We will also be at the Poly for 4 nights in August and it will be our first time also. I can't wait!

 

[*Fantasia*]

I can't seem to find that menu from Norway. Anyways... I'm sure you will enjoy your dining there. I am just a picky eater. Let me see if I can remember this. We had 3 different kind of cheese. The brown cheese I didnt' taste, my son did and he didn't like it. There was fresh salmon and I don't eat salmon. There was shrimp salad, it didn't taste good to me. I think there was also a chicken salad or maybe that was tuna salad. Anyways.. I skipped it.

For the main course, I had chicken with pasta. Either the pasta was green or the sauce or dressing is green. Can't tell. It was bland. But the dessert was very good. Chocolate mousse, it looks like granola bar- it tasted okay and the other one looks like a white whip cream, but it has a little bit of rice in it and strawberries and strawberry sauce.

We actually came here more to meet the Princesses than for food. So it was fine for us. But if I was to do it all over again just to eat there, I would skip this one. I just have a different taste. I am just a picky eater.

I am looking forward for another trip this August before the school starts. I already have Poly booked and POFQ booked.