Just back from POLY, any questions?

[reedycreek]

just back from the POLY, any questions? stayed in tuvalu, overlooking the gf wedding pavilion. very very nice stay.

 

[BCV23]

Glad to read another happy report of a Polynesian stay. We've never stayed in Tuvalu. What did you think of it and is that the longhouse you've been in before?

Anything going on around Captain Cook's?

And all of us who enjoy the Polynesian, let's add to this thread. The few negative threads go on and on. The many positive ones die a quick death to page two.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Thanks for posting! I'm glad you had a good time!

 

[trappednabox]

no questions, just glad you had a great trip!
ETA:guess I do have a question....do they still do the lady bug release at the poly?

 

[clombardi]

Glad you had a great trip. I'm wondering how renovations are progressing in the CH. Is Captain Cook's finished?

 

[reedycreek]

honestly, i dont even know what captain cooks is!! sorry, cant answer that question, i dont even remember seeing it.

didnt see the lady bug release, and there was no mention of it in the little newspaper thing they give you on checkin. i remember that from a visit many years ago.

didn't see any renovations anywhere actually, i did some some trucks on the other side of the monorail tracks, but from the exterior of all the buildings, one could not see any renovations of anything.

tuvalu was great, very quiet location, own private beach near the GF. i was on the second floor all the way on the end (ROOM 2404), so i never used the lobby elevator, just the outdoor staircase on the of the house to get to my room. i would definitely stay in this building again.

oh, i forgot to mention, the little power boats you can rent were great. i did it twice for an hour each time, with the annual pass rate is was only $30 each time. what a great experience, you can go all over bay lake and the 7 seas lagoon, and get some wonderful photos of other resorts. the boats are very available too.

oh, and that waterslide in the pool area is fantastic, i was so scared the first time i did it (and i am a 28 year old male!).

in sum, POLY is the best resort at WDW. i am gonna buy into DVC so my POLY days may soon be over since i wont use my points for it, but it really is a very special place at WDW.

 

[disneytripster]

I am planning a trip in July and we are staying at the poly. I haven't heard the best things about it lately. I am staying in a lagoon view room and I jst want to make sure it is worth it. My family has never stayed at a Disney resort we had a timeshare but we really wanted to stay at the poly. I would love to hear anything you care to share

 

[reedycreek]

I am planning a trip in July and we are staying at the poly. I haven't heard the best things about it lately. I am staying in a lagoon view room and I jst want to make sure it is worth it. My family has never stayed at a Disney resort we had a timeshare but we really wanted to stay at the poly. I would love to hear anything you care to share

not sure if you are asking me if a lagoon view is worth it or just the poly itself. i officially had a standard garden giew room, but i think they upgraded me to the lagoon room without my knowledge since i had that view. i dont think its worth the extra money for the lagoon view, you can just walk outside and see the lagoon.

the POLY is definitely worth it though. what have you heard thats bad about it? i thought the room was very comofortable and clean, nothing special, but had nice decor, and the bathroom was very nice (marble). the pool is great, the waterslide is fantastic if you are into that. ohana and the spirit of aloha show are right on property. but best of all, you are on the monorail. that is really a big plus. i stayed at POR last time in oct, and it was a pain taking the buses everywhere. my two fav parks are MK and EPCOT, so i took the monorail everytime, its just so convenient, fast, and efficient.

i know the cost of POLY is steep, but in my opinion, its full of disney magic, and is really a wonderful place to stay. i liked it much more than the moderate priced POR.

 

[scanne]

So you could see the castle from your room???

We're going in July and are booked in a GV. I requested Figi or Aotearoa, which I think are both very close to Tuvalu.

Did you notice any fumes from the marina from the mouseboats?

Glad you enjoyed your stay. The Polynesian is my favorite and I can't wait to get there!!!

 

[disneytripster]

I was wondering in general if the Poly was worth it. I thought this would be the best place being right next to the monorail and the pool looks fun. What I heard bad from several people was that the spirit of aloha was horrible and their waitstaff was rude. I also heard the customer service was going downhill. And on an internet hotel review site I read horror stories of poor customer service and dirty rooms. I really can't imagine anything Disney being like this. I have gone every year for the past 7 years and a couple of times before that, and I haven't seen anything like that. I think I take your opinion here as being an honest one. I thank you so much. I feel a lot better now.

 

[WDWBetsy]

I was wondering in general if the Poly was worth it. I thought this would be the best place being right next to the monorail and the pool looks fun. What I heard bad from several people was that the spirit of aloha was horrible and their waitstaff was rude. I also heard the customer service was going downhill. And on an internet hotel review site I read horror stories of poor customer service and dirty rooms. I really can't imagine anything Disney being like this. I have gone every year for the past 7 years and a couple of times before that, and I haven't seen anything like that. I think I take your opinion here as being an honest one. I thank you so much. I feel a lot better now.

You really have to take all reviews for what they are - individual experiences. With all the thousands of rooms, you're going to hear many negative reviews. You won't hear all the positive stories, but if you run into a problem when staying at any hotel, I find it better to see if your issues can be resolved when you're actually staying there than just griping about it when you get home. As you've said, you've gone every year and haven't experienced poor service.

IMO, many of the negative reviews appear to come from people who have expectations that are too high (no doubt based on what they've read about on these boards). Now, rooms should be clean and CMs should be friendly and helpful - no doubt about it. But if someone's upset because they didn't get a towel animal or because they didn't get something that someone else did, then they might be expecting something that won't happen. To me, it's far more important that the rooms are clean and comfortable than if the mousekeeper provides a towel animal. I do believe if you're paying for concierge service, you should get a higher level of service and friendly staff eager to assist.

I think we are all responsible for contributing to the Disney magic. I try to roll with whatever comes my way and make the most of everything. The most unmagical thing I've ever come across are rude guests or people throwing tantrums and abusing CMs. I'll gladly take some dust or a cobweb in the corner of my room over seeing that nonsense.

Wishing you a very magical vacation!

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

Bravo, Bravo, wonderfully said WDWBetsy!!!

And OP, welcome home and glad you had a great vacation!!!

To others - There are many many many positive posts about the Poly. I wrote such a post after our recent trip during Easter week '05.

We loved the Poly. and would definitely recommend!

 

[Tinks]

IMO, many of the negative reviews appear to come from people who have expectations that are too high (no doubt based on what they've read about on these boards). Now, rooms should be clean and CMs should be friendly and helpful - no doubt about it. But if someone's upset because they didn't get a towel animal or because they didn't get something that someone else did, then they might be expecting something that won't happen. To me, it's far more important that the rooms are clean and comfortable than if the mousekeeper provides a towel animal. I do believe if you're paying for concierge service, you should get a higher level of service and friendly staff eager to assist.

I find this to be true also. I think you need to have reasonable expectations. These rooms are used by many, many people. You are, IMO, really paying for the location. I expect the rooms to be clean and the staff friendly, but that's it. I also expect to see wear and tear on the rooms and halls. I don't expect towel animals or upgrades (and don't ask, either) or the staff to do anything above and beyond their job. Please don't misread this, sometimes a negative report can be something I agree with! It really depends on the content of what the person is upset about. I find true negative reports of any resort to be few. Far more positive ones out there.

The Polynesian is a relaxing beautiful resort with a great location. They are working to update the rooms (remodel is starting this summer) and working to expand the fast food place, Captain Cook's.

By the way, we just returned from the Poly June 4th and they hadn't started to expand Captain Cook's yet.

I have a question for you guys who stay in Tuvalu, Fiji, Aotearoa etc...
We have always stayed on the other side of the volcano pool. Do you find the walk to TTC long from your room?

Thanks for the report!

 

[Bride In The Attic]

Just have to put in my two cents on this thread....we love the Poly and have had great experiences there. It's nice to hear a good trip report - I think you'll find the OP's experience the norm with the Poly....there is a reason it has it's VERY loyal fan base - I've been returning since 1972!

Like Betsy said - don't base your review of a hotel on whether or not you got towel animals. I'm paying for a clean room, friendly CM's and a touch of *Disney Magic* and I've always found that at the Poly!

 

[Tikiman]

Thanks for the report. I agree that the Polynesian slide is the best. I am not usually impressed with pools or their slides but I love the Polynesian slide.

Room 2404 is considered a garden view room since it does not face the castle. That whole side of Tuvalu is garden view and the opposite side is lagoon view.

Glad you enjoyed your stay.

Aloha

Steve

 

[rmontgo892]

I am planning a trip in July and we are staying at the poly. I haven't heard the best things about it lately. I am staying in a lagoon view room and I jst want to make sure it is worth it. My family has never stayed at a Disney resort we had a timeshare but we really wanted to stay at the poly. I would love to hear anything you care to share

You and your family already sound excited and I think that will stay with you from check in to check out!

Your paying for your own magic by getting a lagoon view. It's simply beautiful. Is it worth it is a relative term in respect to view. If it's outta your budget, maybe not.

Some legitimately just don't like this place. My family loves it and feels it does add to the magic! Just as the GF & Contemporary on the monorail loop add it's own magic.

Do NOT forget to use the little boat for transportation to the Magic Kingdom! We found them most times easier depending on where your located in the resort to use than the monorail. We also found it relaxing and cooler in the warmer months.

The spirit of aloha and even before it's revamp never got the best of reviews in my experience of reading from other posters. Some don't like Chef Mickey's and we love it for what it is! I've been to a "real" luua in Hawaii and even some of those could get complaints. My family also loves O'hana's and the Kona cafe and Captain cooks. Who are we??? We are a family that just happens to enjoy the Poly!!

Have a magical trip!!

 

[rifamtrav]

Has anyone bought the refillable mug at Poly recently? I've read bad reviews about the coffee throughout WDW, although everyone seems to like Kona coffee. I was wondering if the coffee for the refillable mugs (at Captain cooks?) is the same as elsewhere, or (hopefully) a little better? Also, if anyone has used the refillable mugs recently, how convenient was refilling? Were there long lines at Captain cooks?
Thanks.

 

[reedycreek]

So you could see the castle from your room???

We're going in July and are booked in a GV. I requested Figi or Aotearoa, which I think are both very close to Tuvalu.

Did you notice any fumes from the marina from the mouseboats?

Glad you enjoyed your stay. The Polynesian is my favorite and I can't wait to get there!!!

no i could not see the castle from my room, but a short walk to the beach allows you to see it. and didnt smell any fumes from the boats at all anywhere on the property. not to worry!

 

[reedycreek]

oh as far as the comment about Spirit of Aloha, i did it my last trip to WDW in Oct, and was not overly impressed, the food was just ok, and the service was slow, but it is filled with magic, and definitely worth trying.

 

[BCV23]

We didn't use a mug at our most recent trip to the Polynesian last month but have many times over the years. I've never encountered a wait longer than one person ahead of me. It may get a little worse than that in the middle of meal times though.

Haven't had the coffee from Captain Cooks in a while. Years ago it was very good and then for the past few years it was not. But you will never know until you try. I know the coffee at the new BC Marketplace is brewed. Perhaps that is also now true at CC or maybe it will be after the rennovations are complete. Things do change all the time.