Steelers0854
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 29, 2016
- Messages
- 463
DW and I just stayed at the PIT for the first time last week and we really liked it. It wasn’t perfect, I’ll get into that in a minute, but overall we were really happy with our stay there and would gladly stay there again on our future trips. We had only stayed at the Poly once before in the longhouses for 1 night before a cruise (so no park visits). We arrived on a Thursday and were at the airport when we got the message our room was ready, thats a first for us and was a welcome surprise! I think arriving on a Thursday certainly played a role.
Location/Transportation: It’s a very short and easy walk to the GCH. It’s a much longer walk to the lobby of the VGF. We made this mistake the first day and walked to the VGF to catch the monorail to the MK, don’t, its much faster to get to the GCH and you get the benefit of less crowding boarding here. It was just over a 10 minute walk to the TTC, which couldn’t have been easier even with our lack of navigational skills. We found it faster to walk out the front doors of the GCH and down past the bus stop vs the interior of the resort, but maybe this was psychosomatic. We loved taking the monorail to Epcot, so fast and convenient and the walk isnt bad even after a long park day.
Theming: I know this has been discussed a lot in other posts, but we really didnt mind the theming of the tower. I really felt like I was in Hawaii when walking around. The lobby is bright and beautiful. The rooms are fun, bright and tastefully themed. Overall, could it have been better, sure, but did we hate it, absolutely not. You are so close to the GCH and end up there so often for transportation, meals, shopping etc you still experience a lot of that theming as well.
Rooms: We stayed in a deluxe studio TPV. Our room was on the 5th floor, just off the elevators, and were right next to the bump out (3538). We LOVED the layout of the room. While we did miss the bathroom of the longhouse, these were very nice and we loved the sitting area with table and the kitchenette. We liked the brightness of the room, the colors and decor. The balcony was quite large. I do think we got a TPV room, but you couldn’t see the theme park from every spot not he balcony. With the bump out being immediately to our left it blocked some of the view for about 2/3 of the balcony. The person standing on the far right side of the balcony could see the fireworks with only a minor cutoff, the rest of the balcony had more restricted views and you basically had to be standing to see them. Now these aren’t “fireworks” view rooms, so by no means complaining, we watched from he balcony several times. But i think the rooms next to us and further down would have better views given they weren’t right next to the bump out. In the photos you can see where the bump out impacts the view and what you’d an see from the best position on the balcony. We had very little noise from being close to the elevators. You can also very clearly hear the music for the show with no issues.
Dining: So Wailulu is your only option at the PIT. Just before our stay they changed the way the restaurant works from walk up wait list only to reservations. The day before we arrived i was checking the app and scored lunch reservations at noon. Which worked out perfectly for us. This is one of top restaurants now on property. The chicken poke bowl and the burger were both delicious! Also, our thanks for whomever does the menus as they recently made the chicken gluten free (it wasnt updated not he menus) and it was incredible. The burger IMO is equal to if not better than Steakhouse 71. You can mobile order here for pickup which is great if you cant get a reservation, we talked about how great it would be to grab an order and eat in the room. It’s a very short walk to the GCH to access the quick service Capt Cooks, Kona etc. I kind of wish they had added a coffee bar, as that would have been nice but understand why they didnt. Either way we Wailulu is a huge win and easy access to the rest of the resort offerings is an easy sell. Dining adjacent, there are 2 freestyle machines right noext to the gym by Wailulu that are fairly easy to access for those with resort mugs.
Misc: The 5th floor has one of the balconies that face the MK. This space is beautiful and a great place to relax. We went out one night about 35 min before fireworks and got a seat along the railing. About 10 min before fireworks it got more crowded but it’s still a big space and everyone can see well. They of course pipe in the music. We loved how quiet the lobby area was. Much less crowded and hectic when compared to the GCH.
One gripe I have about most hotels these days comes down to sound. Would it kill these places (especially a place like Disney that attracts a lot of families with kids) to do some sound dampening? While the “wood” floors are super nice, they may for sound amplifiers for little feet that like to run around the room. It sounded at times like a heard got loose from AK above our room. But like i said, this isnt unique to PIT, I think its just businesses being cheap when building.
Overall, i think there are compelling reasons for both the PIT and the lounghouses. I do feel the longhouses are quieter, but I would be happy in either of them for our next stay. We are glad to have this as an option and are thrilled to be owners here.
Location/Transportation: It’s a very short and easy walk to the GCH. It’s a much longer walk to the lobby of the VGF. We made this mistake the first day and walked to the VGF to catch the monorail to the MK, don’t, its much faster to get to the GCH and you get the benefit of less crowding boarding here. It was just over a 10 minute walk to the TTC, which couldn’t have been easier even with our lack of navigational skills. We found it faster to walk out the front doors of the GCH and down past the bus stop vs the interior of the resort, but maybe this was psychosomatic. We loved taking the monorail to Epcot, so fast and convenient and the walk isnt bad even after a long park day.
Theming: I know this has been discussed a lot in other posts, but we really didnt mind the theming of the tower. I really felt like I was in Hawaii when walking around. The lobby is bright and beautiful. The rooms are fun, bright and tastefully themed. Overall, could it have been better, sure, but did we hate it, absolutely not. You are so close to the GCH and end up there so often for transportation, meals, shopping etc you still experience a lot of that theming as well.
Rooms: We stayed in a deluxe studio TPV. Our room was on the 5th floor, just off the elevators, and were right next to the bump out (3538). We LOVED the layout of the room. While we did miss the bathroom of the longhouse, these were very nice and we loved the sitting area with table and the kitchenette. We liked the brightness of the room, the colors and decor. The balcony was quite large. I do think we got a TPV room, but you couldn’t see the theme park from every spot not he balcony. With the bump out being immediately to our left it blocked some of the view for about 2/3 of the balcony. The person standing on the far right side of the balcony could see the fireworks with only a minor cutoff, the rest of the balcony had more restricted views and you basically had to be standing to see them. Now these aren’t “fireworks” view rooms, so by no means complaining, we watched from he balcony several times. But i think the rooms next to us and further down would have better views given they weren’t right next to the bump out. In the photos you can see where the bump out impacts the view and what you’d an see from the best position on the balcony. We had very little noise from being close to the elevators. You can also very clearly hear the music for the show with no issues.
Dining: So Wailulu is your only option at the PIT. Just before our stay they changed the way the restaurant works from walk up wait list only to reservations. The day before we arrived i was checking the app and scored lunch reservations at noon. Which worked out perfectly for us. This is one of top restaurants now on property. The chicken poke bowl and the burger were both delicious! Also, our thanks for whomever does the menus as they recently made the chicken gluten free (it wasnt updated not he menus) and it was incredible. The burger IMO is equal to if not better than Steakhouse 71. You can mobile order here for pickup which is great if you cant get a reservation, we talked about how great it would be to grab an order and eat in the room. It’s a very short walk to the GCH to access the quick service Capt Cooks, Kona etc. I kind of wish they had added a coffee bar, as that would have been nice but understand why they didnt. Either way we Wailulu is a huge win and easy access to the rest of the resort offerings is an easy sell. Dining adjacent, there are 2 freestyle machines right noext to the gym by Wailulu that are fairly easy to access for those with resort mugs.
Misc: The 5th floor has one of the balconies that face the MK. This space is beautiful and a great place to relax. We went out one night about 35 min before fireworks and got a seat along the railing. About 10 min before fireworks it got more crowded but it’s still a big space and everyone can see well. They of course pipe in the music. We loved how quiet the lobby area was. Much less crowded and hectic when compared to the GCH.
One gripe I have about most hotels these days comes down to sound. Would it kill these places (especially a place like Disney that attracts a lot of families with kids) to do some sound dampening? While the “wood” floors are super nice, they may for sound amplifiers for little feet that like to run around the room. It sounded at times like a heard got loose from AK above our room. But like i said, this isnt unique to PIT, I think its just businesses being cheap when building.
Overall, i think there are compelling reasons for both the PIT and the lounghouses. I do feel the longhouses are quieter, but I would be happy in either of them for our next stay. We are glad to have this as an option and are thrilled to be owners here.
