Just back from 7... no, make that 9! days at the Polynesian

[Jen D]

Returned back last night from 9 nights at the Poly-- the seven nights we had scheduled and then two extra nights we added when we couldn't find a flight out before Jeanne hit. This is a really wonderful resort and I am glad we got the chance to stay there.

We arrived at about 10:30am on a Saturday... Alohas and smiles all around. We were given a choice of Longhouses-- there were a number of room in Samoa, Hawaii, etc. that we could have if we were willing to wait until 3pm, but they could give us a third floor room in Tuvalu, which is smoking-optional, right away. Since we were all exhausted we took that option, hoping the smoke smell didn't bother us-- it didn't. Tuvalu is a decent location-- we had garden view-- you're right by the marina and a small beach, and the walk to the GCH isn't bad-- of course, the TTC is a bit of a hike but as we discovered, it is still better to walk to TTC than to take the monorail. We were in 3401-- boy, the rooms are huge! And with a crib and a fridge, plus our stroller and car seat, we used every inch. Room was truly beautiful-- for some reason the pictures you see online don't do them justice. The whole room is very attractive and even that mirror works in the context of the rest of the room!

Mousekeeping was great-- kept us well-stocked on toiletries and towels and did great job cleaning. No towel animals though, for those of you keeping score. Actually, near the end of our stay I increased the tip by a dollar, because the maid was doing such a nice job on our room every day, and that day the maid arranged the stuffed animals artfully. I vaguely wondered what would happen if I upped the ante the next day but decided to keep things status quo.

We enjoyed the volcano pool quite a bit. I found it difficult to find a shady spot on most of my visits-- wish there was a bit more shade. But I enjoyed the pool and its managable size.

We ate at Kona a lot-- five times actually! (Three times during the weekend of Jeanne.) Really loved it. It would be nice if they offered some of their lower-priced lunch entrees for dinner as well, but I guess that is to be expected. Breakfast was great although the Tonga toast was a bit much for me. Koko Puffs, however were as great as promised. 'Ohana we did both breakfast and dinner. The character breakfast was fine-- great charaters, food OK-- pineapple bread pretty yummy. Dinner at 'Ohana was just OK. Kids activities were a hoot and most of the food was likable enough, but it seemed awfully overpriced. Yeah I know it is all you can eat but sometimes I think Disney uses all-you-can eat as an excuse to overcharge for mediocre food. But I digress. Don't get me wrong, I thought 'Ohana was OK, but for the price I'd rather eat at Kona and pick my own entree. It is certainly a festive place, though, and a good first night dinner.

Overall an amazing resort. Cast members charming (loved hearing Aloha and Mahalo everywhere we went) and I really loved the complete South Seas immersion. Grounds are amazing. I'm really glad we picked this resort. We'll probably try something new next time, but the next resort has a lot to live up to.

Oh, and when we had to extend our reservation due to a cancelled flight, the cms could not have been more accomodating-- we got two nights at a rate lower than our already discounted rate.

 

[skiwee1]

Glad you had a great stay at the Poly! I will be back there in 3 days and can't wait! I have the opposite opinions on Ohana and Kona's. I think Kona's has went down hill a bit. They have gotten rid of some of my favorites and the other dishes do nothing for me. Well, the Koko Puffs did a lot for me, like add inches to an already expanding waistline, but that's beside the point! We think Ohana has great food. I have been there quite a bit and have never walked away feeling like I've been overcharged. The food is delicious, especially the shrimp. The Poly is my favorite resort. I'm glad to hear the CMs were nice as they have gotten a few bad review lately. Thanks for the report!

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

Thanks for the report and I'm glad you made it home safely!

I'm so glad you liked the Poly! Isn't it wonderful?
My DH, DD & I all love Kona Cafe - it's one of our traditions to eat lunch there after we get checked-in. I like OHana but DH & DD aren't crazy about it so we don't eat there.

I am SO looking forward to arriving at the Poly in about 3 weeks!

Debbie

 

[denman007]

skiwee1,

We ate at Ohana's last Saturday and didn't care for it. When they're pulling the shrimp off the grill and they're black, I'd say they're a little over done. The steak was bland.

None of the offerings were very good that night. We didn't spend more than 30 mins there. Prob won't go back.

Cape May Cafe was best for us last week. Awesome buffet there.

 

[tlev]

We ate at O'hana's recently and also found the food to be bland and way over-cooked. Wonder if they are breaking in new cooks during the slow season?

 

[Rhonna]

Jen,

Thanks for the review of the room decor. I was hoping they looked better in person than many of the photos on the net.

Also, I find it hard to believe that neon mirror looks okay in the room (I laughed when I read your comment on that - how many of us care about the small details I wonder?) - I guess I'll have to see if I get use to it also!

 

[Jen D]

Rhonna-- yes, that's why I commented on the mirror. I remember a thread on Poly room decor where everyone mentioned how weird it looked. But in the room it looks great, all the green accents just pop a little more.

I didn't really dislike 'Ohana, I just felt it was sort of unremarkable. If we ever stay at the Poly again, I might do dinner there, but I doubt I would go out of my way to eat there if I was staying at another resort.

 

[Tikiman]

Welcome back. THanks for the report.

You think Tuvalu had big rooms you should see the rooms in the newer longhouses.

I can't believe they offered you a choice of staying in Hawaii longhouse. Were they going to upgrade you to concierge? Samoa would have been a great location. Tuvalu had a nice lagoon view but I got tired of walking around the marina to get to the pool.

I love Kona. They did change the menu (as they do every so often) but I loved some of the new additions to the menu. That place just gets better with each time we return.

Aloha

Steve

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Tikiman
I love Kona. They did change the menu (as they do every so often) but I loved some of the new additions to the menu. That place just gets better with each time we return.

Aloha

Steve

Well I guess I'll just have to give them another chance Steve. I will be there in 2 days!! Yipee!!

 

[Tikiman]

Hey Terry. Do you like salads? I am not a huge fan of salads but they had a beef teriyaki salad that was awsome. I guess you have to like beef also which my wife does not.

They also had these sweet potato chips with many of the lunch meals that were great. They were potato chips made from sweet potatoes.

Let me know how it was when you get back.

Aloha

Steve

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Tikiman
Hey Terry. Do you like salads? I am not a huge fan of salads but they had a beef teriyaki salad that was awsome. I guess you have to like beef also which my wife does not.

They also had these sweet potato chips with many of the lunch meals that were great. They were potato chips made from sweet potatoes.

Let me know how it was when you get back.

Aloha

Steve

I am not a salad eater unfortunately. I love seafood though and usually get the mahi mahi. Last time they took the wasabi potatoes off the dish and put some other nasty potato in instead. I have had the sweet potato chips at lunch too and they were good. They burgers were good too.Breakfast is always delicous. The crab wontons at dinner are very good but I don't know if they have them anymore. I will have to cruise by and check out the menu. We were there in May but things might have changed since then. Thanks!

 

[bayoutiger]

We just retunred from 2 nights at AKL and 11 nights at the Poly. We had to go early to avoid Ivan and got stuck with Jeanne. Overall it was a great trip, and it was amazing to see how the hotel cleaned up so quickly after the storm. It was cool to see them clean the volcano pool and get it ready the next day as if nothing had happened. AKL was neat but not like staying on a monorail. When we had to add two nights to the start of our vacation they added the rooms at the discounted rate that we had for the rest of vacation. But when we extended our stay at the POLY, we got charged full rack rate. Oh well.

We ate a bunch at Kona. We really liked it, except for one or two servers that had not had their happy pills. Can't beat the Tonga Toast or the Pan Asian Pasta. Had an average meal at Ohana, not workth eating at again while we were there. The staff was great during the storm, entertaining the kids, etc. I was a bit disappointed by their prep before the storm, as the information was inconsistent (restaurants will be open, not they won't, you need food in your room for 48 hours etc). Kind of created a buying frenzy.

Was disappointed by the cleaning staff. They left one bottle of shampoo the entire stay at the POly, thankfully we brought our own. They only changed our sheets once during tht time as well.

The rest of the vacation was very good. We did find a few CMs that did not show the magic, and that was a bit disappointing. If I wanted an attitude, I would have stayed home. 1900 Park Fare was the best character meal that we had. Cinderalla's RT was an absolute disapointmnet. The Characters came through at such a rate of speed that I felt sorry to take a picutre. Same thing happened at Chef Mickey's with Mickey, he originally forgot our table, then he was reminded, he was only ther a minute, and seemed a bit put out. We are not one of the crazy familils that requested 17 pictures, just please make my kids happy by showing you are excited that they are there to see you.

Wishes was fantastic. Fantasmic and Illuminations were great as expected.

Back to the POly, we will stay there again. Despite a few unhappy CMs, all very very nice

 

[Jen D]

I can't believe they offered you a choice of staying in Hawaii longhouse

You're right not to believe it! I wrote Hawaii, I meant Tahiti, I always confuse those two.

Samoa definitely looked like a nicer location, and that walk around the marina could get a little tiresome, but the issue was this: room in Samoa after 3pm, room in Tuvalu now. My husband I were operating on about 2 hours sleep and while I probably could have waited it out, I felt his ability to get a nap at this point might make or break the vacation! So we took the longhouse that was immediately available. In any case we had a garden view.

One nice thing about Tuvalu is that we had our anniversary dinner at Victoria and Alberts, and it was a very nice and short midnight walk back from the Grand Floridian.

 

[Tikiman]

Getting Hawaii and Tahiti mixed up??? Don’t ever do that when you go to the REAL Hawaii. You will end up a few thousand miles away from your room.

I bet they would have let you nap in the Tuvalu room till your Samoa room was ready.

Aloha

Steve

 

[Jen D]

Getting Hawaii and Tahiti mixed up???Don’t ever do that when you go to the REAL Hawaii. You will end up a few thousand miles away from your room.

Ha! No I just get those longhouses confused, probably because of Tahiti being the concierge building when Hawaii was rehabbed, I think. Or maybe I got that wrong!