I'm obsessing over getting a balcony at POLY!

[camdensmom]

Any tips?

I am making myself nuts over the luck of the draw in room assignments. We booked a lagoon view and have requested connecting rooms with my parents. We have a 2 year old and are really hoping to have a balcony so that we can sit outside while he naps/sleeps.

First floor rooms kind of give me the creeps, but that is just me.

We will be arriving at the hotel (if all goes well with a December flight out of Boston) around lunchtime.

 

[Traveliz]

Yes a balcony is my thing too - just be sure its requested - your only request would be best - -mention it also at check in and tell them you are willing to wait to get one!

Good luck!
Liz

 

[Disney grandma]

My family think I'm crazy because I won't stay on a ground floor where there is an outside entrance. I am hoping too that we get connecting rooms with a balcony and would definitely wait awhile to check in if that would be the way to assure we would get one. My biggest fear is snakes!!!!

 

[camdensmom]

oh my! I hadn't even thought of snakes!

 

[Tink rules]

Call and tell them that you want the third/top floor of what ever building that you check into. The top floors have the balconys.

Tell them that you would like it for security reasons. (I travel alone sometimes and also with my mom and I prefer an upper floor for that reason.)

They cannot guarantee it, but you can give it a try. Most times they try their best to accomodate people.

Also when you check in - the earlier the better in the day - request the same and tell them that you noted it on your reservation with CRO and that you would like a room with that location.

Only once I have had to change rooms in all the times I have been there and it was only one night spent without the room I wanted.

Good luck...

 

[StrwLady]

Have your request noted on your reservation. I always list my request in order of importance. Then about a week before call CRO and confirm that the request are listed in the notes. When you check in and are given your room number ask if that room fulfills your request. If not kindly ask them if something else is available. I have checked in before and not had exactly what I had hopped for. When I asked they checked and sometimes found me what I wanted and sometimes not. But I must say the majority of my stays I have got most if not all my request.

 

[cara loves the poly]

Having a balcony is very important to me too! I have requested it two times and have received it both times! I think the odds are in your favor!

 

[cara loves the poly]

oh my! I hadn't even thought of snakes!

When you have a phobia, you ALWAYS think of it!

 

[BCV23]

Call and tell them that you want the third/top floor of what ever building that you check into. The top floors have the balconys.

The three newer buildings have balconies on 2nd and 3rd floors. Since camdensmom booked lagoon view, Tahiti would work well. It is a large building and has far more lagoon view rooms than the other LV longhouses.

But still I agree with Liz. List a balcony as your one request and your most likely to have that request honored.

 

[disnut8]

It also could help to explain the reason why you want the balcony. A simple "I'm like to request a balcony so we can sit outside while our son sleeps and we'd prefer third floor."

 

[BrianD]

Tahiti has mostly Magic Kingdom View Rooms so you may not necessarily be placed there. You could get Tuvalu which is a smaller long house that only has a balcony on the third floor.

If a balcony is more important to you than connecting rooms, then I would request that first and foremost and maybe even remove the connecting room request, again, if it is that important to you.

When we REALLY want a balcony, we book a resort that pretty much has balconies for every room, like the GF or YC. So that is another option.

 

[HappyTrouble]

I just got back from the Poly w/ my Mom and 2 DD's on the 22nd. My only request was a balcony because w/ 2 teenagers my Mom and I knew we would be up earlier and would want to step outside to read the paper and drink our coffee.....It was very important to us so that was our only request!! We did not get it........We got Rarontonga, facing the monorail, 2nd floor.......Nothing else was available. Told me to check back the next day, when I checked back the next day I was told the resort was at 100% capacity and that they were even turning guests away As it turns out we loved our room location. Being there for 8 days in the middle of August our room was just steps from everything!!!!! Captain Cooks, both pools, bus station and monorail station and was not a bad walk over to the TTC. My Mom and I both commented on how lucky we were to have such a good location!!!!! Everything about the Poly was fantastic and we would just open the door to our "railing", as we refered to it, and enjoyed the sounds and we loved the monorail going by. It did make for a different trip experience and it was lovely at night. We had a very nice lanscaped area between us and the monorail so no one could see directly in our room because of the swaying palm fronds and we could see the parking lot if we payed attention to it which of course we didn't!!!!!
We had a nice trip and I got over the disappointment real quick.......It probably didn't help that we checked in at 9:30 pm...our flight out of Houston was delayed about 1 1/2 so we got to the Poly later than we expected.......

 

[LeahA]

We had a 1st floor room with a patio at the POLY and loved it. We are very much balcony people, and I didn't think I'd like the patio. It was great, because we could sit outside and our kids could play in the little grass area in front of our patio. The doors are very secure, I wouldn't worry about anyone getting in or out. We had a room facing the Volcano Pool and at night with the tiki torches lit we could people watch and the kids came out side and could see glimpses of the fireworks from the sidewalk. We were in Samoa/1st floor and loved it!

 

[grimley1968]

It probably didn't help that we checked in at 9:30 pm...our flight out of Houston was delayed about 1 1/2 so we got to the Poly later than we expected.......

This is 99% likely to be the cause of not getting your request. The Poly isn't going to block off rooms for requests, and will give away requested rooms if someone else checks in earlier with the same requests and there's nothing else to give them. I've had similar happen to me. But as you mentioned in the rest of your post, just about any room at the Poly has certain advantages that others don't have. I'm glad you still enjoyed the room and its location.

However, if the OP's only request is for a balcony, that may be one of the easiest requests for the Poly to grant, assuming the OP is able to check in at lunchtime like she expects to. However, if getting a balcony is more important than getting adjoining rooms, I'd drop the request for adjoining rooms. That really limits the available pool of rooms that meet what you want.

Why do first floor rooms give you the creeps, OP? We had a 1st floor Samoa room once, facing the Volcano pool. It was awesome, had a nice little patio where we could relax and people-watch, and was an easier way to walk to the pool. Our oldest DD was then our only DD and about 2 years old. It could not have been a better location for us.

 

[sotoalf]

I know what you mean about the balcony – I alway srequest one. However, as posters have mentioned already, if you make this your first request, you are very likely to get it.

 

[BCV23]

Tahiti has mostly Magic Kingdom View Rooms so you may not necessarily be placed there. You could get Tuvalu which is a smaller long house that only has a balcony on the third floor.

I don't know, Brian. I would think Tuvalu and Aortearoa's lagoon side rooms probably have a high % of MK views too. Of course, the criteria for MK view is very strict at the Polynesian as I understand it...completely unblocked view.

 

[cara loves the poly]

This is 99% likely to be the cause of not getting your request. The Poly isn't going to block off rooms for requests, and will give away requested rooms if someone else checks in earlier with the same requests and there's nothing else to give them. I've had similar happen to me. But as you mentioned in the rest of your post, just about any room at the Poly has certain advantages that others don't have. I'm glad you still enjoyed the room and its location.

However, if the OP's only request is for a balcony, that may be one of the easiest requests for the Poly to grant, assuming the OP is able to check in at lunchtime like she expects to. However, if getting a balcony is more important than getting adjoining rooms, I'd drop the request for adjoining rooms. That really limits the available pool of rooms that meet what you want.

Why do first floor rooms give you the creeps, OP? We had a 1st floor Samoa room once, facing the Volcano pool. It was awesome, had a nice little patio where we could relax and people-watch, and was an easier way to walk to the pool. Our oldest DD was then our only DD and about 2 years old. It could not have been a better location for us.

she has a phobia. snakes. she wouldn't be able to relax on a ground floor.