Just Back From The Poly!! Some Thoughts and Observations

[DeborahB]

Overall it was a wonderful stay, although it went by too fast.

We checked in at 11:59 PM on the night of our arrival. Our flight from Boston was delayed 4 hours and this ruined our plans for our first night. My DH and I were very aggrivated due to the travel delays but it started to melt away somewhat as we approached the Poly. I had been trying for weeks to upgrade to Club Level with no luck, so I stayed with our AP rate, GV and I had requested Tahiti or Fiji. Guess what room we were assigned to? Rapa Nui, 3rd floor parking lot view. When I brought this up to the CM, she said the resort was 100% booked and if we were unhappy with the room, we could ask to be moved in the AM.
I pretty much knew I was screwed due to the late hour anyway. My DH was even more annoyed as he felt she was lying to us about the occupancy and just didn't want to deal with us. He also felt we were assigned a not so desirable location because we had the AP rate. Our view was partial parking lot, with a side of big bright speedway lights, topped off with a big tree right in front of our balcony. I went to sleep expecting only to be staying one night in this room.
In the morning I changed my mind. The room itself was great, nice and clean, roomy, double sinks, 2 chairs. The parking area was right outside for our rental car. Quick walk to TTC. And we were only staying four nights. Had we been staying any longer I would have been out of there.

We first stayed at the Polynesian back in what I refer to as the "glory days". Things have changed a lot since then but there is still a lot of good!

Check-in: We did get leis at check-in. And it was quick. That's all.

Turndown service: I requested this for our length of stay. It wasn't done the first night, but was for the next two. Very nice.

Housekeeping: Excellent. Our room was serviced every day before we came back for our afternoon break.

Grounds: Absolutely beautiful! The landscaping and flowers were lovely. I remember more flowers with more variety before but maybe it has to do with the extreme summer heat. Also I didn't notice any trash or overflowing containers. The Tiki torches were on at night and it was so romantic! One or two were out, but then I saw them being fixed the next day. I only noticed the wonderful Poly music playing in certain areas of the resort and definitely not over in my area. I hope they will address this as it's one of my favorite things.

Cast Members: Very friendly and warm. Most said Aloha when greeting us.

Restaurants: We ate breakfast twice at Kona Cafe. It was great! The blueberry pancakes are terrific! Great service, too. I only wish we had lunch or dinner as we had originally planned before Delta ruined our first night. Ruiners. We had snacks in Capt. Cooks one afternoon and the place was dirty. Most of the tables needed to be wiped down and there were napkins on the floor. I enjoyed my Dole whip! I piled it as high as I could and it tasted exactly like those at Aloha Isle in MK.

Shops: I purchased a few things in Boutiki. I wish they had more Poly themed merchandise, I just felt it was lacking in that area.

The only bad thing was leaving and coming home! And the opressive summer heat. It was worse than I had anticipated.
We will be returning next year, probably in May. Love those Annual Passes!

 

[Sammie]

You can let your husband know that the CM did not lie to you, the Polynesian has been 100% every month since June this year, as well as most Disney deluxe resorts. A very busy summer.

Also the person assigning rooms does not know the wage you paid, only room category and some garden view rooms do face the parking lot. Occupany levels and arriving late are usually the main reason for not having much choice in room selection.

Sorry you got there late, that always starts things off on the wrong foot but glad you enjoyed your stay after that.

 

[Poly Pal]

Our experience was very similar to the OP's, except we arrived at 12 Noon. We were on a "lower than AP discount" rate thanks to the "fest" sponsored by He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named-On-These-Boards. Our room was ready and we were assigned to first floor Rapa Nui parking lot side. I was disappointed initially. But our patio was nice, we couldn't actually see the parking lot, the extra space in the bathroom was great, and being steps to the TTC and our rental car was soooo worth it. It was also nice not to have to use bell service to get our bags out to the car at check-out. We just wheeled our luggage out to the covered entry way, I pulled the car right up and we were off! We liked the location so much that my wife wants to request Rapa Nui next time! I think this long house gets a bum rap.

We went to Captain Cooks ALOT. About 5 mornings for breakfast, 4 lunches and several times for snacks. I never thought it was dirty. One lunch I did notice that some slob did not take his tray and throw away his trash. When we sat down for lunch in the newly expanded area I always saw a CM sweeping the restaurant at least once.

I also noticed that the music could not be heard everywhere. It was loudest by the quiet pool, near the marina rental stand, and over by the beach near Hawaii. But on the walk from Rapa Nui to the GCH that is closest to the monorail beam, there was music coming out of only one speaker. I too hope they fix this since it is another thing we like about the Polynesian.

Our room was always made up by the time we returned (1 - 2 pm). Lots of Alohas from the CM's we encountered, check-in was the quickest ever (of 9 or 10 stays since 1987) and we got lei'd right there at the desk instead of having to go to a separate desk as in the past.

It was also very hot while we were there. DeborahB, did you learn to take the "air-conditioned shortcut" from Rapa Nui to the GCH through Rarotonga?

And as always, our stay went by too quickly!

 

[DeborahB]

You can let your husband know that the CM did not lie to you, the Polynesian has been 100% every month since June this year, as well as most Disney deluxe resorts. A very busy summer.

Also the person assigning rooms does not know the wage your paid, only room category and some garden view rooms do face the parking lot. Occupany levels and arriving late are usually the main reason for not having much choice in room selection.

Sorry you got there late, that always starts things off on the wrong foot but glad you enjoyed your stay after that.

Sammie, thank you for the info, I was unaware that the room assigner had no idea of the rate you pay. Perception is a funny thing and when you're annoyed and tired things may not be what they seem. The resort itself never seemed that full while we were there, but that's a good thing.
We did end up having a wonderful stay and would stay there again in a heartbeat. I just wish we could have been more immersed in the center of the resort. Next time!

 

[DeborahB]

Our experience was very similar to the OP's, except we arrived at 12 Noon. We were on a "lower than AP discount" rate thanks to the "fest" sponsored by He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named-On-These-Boards. Our room was ready and we were assigned to first floor Rapa Nui parking lot side. I was disappointed initially. But our patio was nice, we couldn't actually see the parking lot, the extra space in the bathroom was great, and being steps to the TTC and our rental car was soooo worth it. It was also nice not to have to use bell service to get our bags out to the car at check-out. We just wheeled our luggage out to the covered entry way, I pulled the car right up and we were off! We liked the location so much that my wife wants to request Rapa Nui next time! I think this long house gets a bum rap.

We went to Captain Cooks ALOT. About 5 mornings for breakfast, 4 lunches and several times for snacks. I never thought it was dirty. One lunch I did notice that some slob did not take his tray and throw away his trash. When we sat down for lunch in the newly expanded area I always saw a CM sweeping the restaurant at least once.

I also noticed that the music could not be heard everywhere. It was loudest by the quiet pool, near the marina rental stand, and over by the beach near Hawaii. But on the walk from Rapa Nui to the GCH that is closest to the monorail beam, there was music coming out of only one speaker. I too hope they fix this since it is another thing we like about the Polynesian.

Our room was always made up by the time we returned (1 - 2 pm). Lots of Alohas from the CM's we encountered, check-in was the quickest ever (of 9 or 10 stays since 1987) and we got lei'd right there at the desk instead of having to go to a separate desk as in the past.

It was also very hot while we were there. DeborahB, did you learn to take the "air-conditioned shortcut" from Rapa Nui to the GCH through Rarotonga?

And as always, our stay went by too quickly!

Poly Pal, did you enjoy the "fest"? Ya, it ended up being ok over at Rapa Nui but I always felt like I was an outsider, on the outskirts. I would have liked to be more centrally located with a better view. And next trip we are thinking about staying CL so I'll get my wish!
Oh yes we most definitely took the A/C shortcut! lol It was a lifesaver sometimes.
Did you also notice the Music on the first floor of Rapa Nui? Near the little lobby area? I loved that.
I totally agree about people being slobs and not picking up after themselves.
They just need to keep up with the cleaning more.
When will you be returning?

 

[G8r4evr]

Overall it was a wonderful stay, although it went by too fast.

We checked in at 11:59 PM on the night of our arrival. Our flight from Boston was delayed 4 hours and this ruined our plans for our first night. My DH and I were very aggrivated due to the travel delays but it started to melt away somewhat as we approached the Poly. I had been trying for weeks to upgrade to Club Level with no luck, so I stayed with our AP rate, GV and I had requested Tahiti or Fiji. Guess what room we were assigned to? Rapa Nui, 3rd floor parking lot view. When I brought this up to the CM, she said the resort was 100% booked and if we were unhappy with the room, we could ask to be moved in the AM.
I pretty much knew I was screwed due to the late hour anyway. My DH was even more annoyed as he felt she was lying to us about the occupancy and just didn't want to deal with us. He also felt we were assigned a not so desirable location because we had the AP rate. Our view was partial parking lot, with a side of big bright speedway lights, topped off with a big tree right in front of our balcony. I went to sleep expecting only to be staying one night in this room.
In the morning I changed my mind. The room itself was great, nice and clean, roomy, double sinks, 2 chairs. The parking area was right outside for our rental car. Quick walk to TTC. And we were only staying four nights. Had we been staying any longer I would have been out of there.

We first stayed at the Polynesian back in what I refer to as the "glory days". Things have changed a lot since then but there is still a lot of good!

Check-in: We did get leis at check-in. And it was quick. That's all.

Turndown service: I requested this for our length of stay. It wasn't done the first night, but was for the next two. Very nice.

Housekeeping: Excellent. Our room was serviced every day before we came back for our afternoon break.

Grounds: Absolutely beautiful! The landscaping and flowers were lovely. I remember more flowers with more variety before but maybe it has to do with the extreme summer heat. Also I didn't notice any trash or overflowing containers. The Tiki torches were on at night and it was so romantic! One or two were out, but then I saw them being fixed the next day. I only noticed the wonderful Poly music playing in certain areas of the resort and definitely not over in my area. I hope they will address this as it's one of my favorite things.

Cast Members: Very friendly and warm. Most said Aloha when greeting us.

Restaurants: We ate breakfast twice at Kona Cafe. It was great! The blueberry pancakes are terrific! Great service, too. I only wish we had lunch or dinner as we had originally planned before Delta ruined our first night. Ruiners. We had snacks in Capt. Cooks one afternoon and the place was dirty. Most of the tables needed to be wiped down and there were napkins on the floor. I enjoyed my Dole whip! I piled it as high as I could and it tasted exactly like those at Aloha Isle in MK.

Shops: I purchased a few things in Boutiki. I wish they had more Poly themed merchandise, I just felt it was lacking in that area.

The only bad thing was leaving and coming home! And the opressive summer heat. It was worse than I had anticipated.
We will be returning next year, probably in May. Love those Annual Passes!

I asked previously about potential parking lot views at Poly and remember reading that if you did get the dreaded view, the parking lot was waaaay off in the distance. Was it really close enough to be a distraction?

I just cant imagine paying that much for a hotel to end up looking at cars out my window.

 

[DeborahB]

Close enough. We could see where we parked our car. That had it's advantages too, but when I stay at the Poly, I don't want to see parked cars and big, bright Speedway lights. I want to see beautiful tropical plants and flowers and/or the MK and beach.
But the good thing is if you get that view, you can always ask to be moved and if there's availability, they'll move you.

 

[Poly Pal]

Back when we first started staying at the Polynesian they actually had more rate categories. From what I recall they were something like this:

Garden View - Parking
Garden View - Garden
Pool View
Marina View
Garden View - Concierge
Lagoon View
Lagoon View - Concierge

I think the rates were labeled "A" to "G" or something like that. We booked "GV- Garden for our first trip and ended up being able to see the castle from our room in Aotearoa (back then called "Tahiti").

 

[LoveKermit]

We just got back last Thurs. and felt similarly. The CMs were all very nice. And we too were told they were booked solid and still rarely encountered anyone on the walk back from TTC. We were in Tokelau, but even if we had been further, I think we still would have walked to TTC since most dinners were at EPCOT. The grounds were beautiful. I didn't want to fly to Hawaii with a 7 month old. This was a fine substitute!

 

[ConcKahuna]

I had friends stay at the Poly not too long ago and they were 3rd floor in Rapa Nuie too. Thier kids ended up loving it, since they could watch the monorail go by in the evening. I guess any view can be someone's favorite!

 

[simonkodousek]

I'm glad you enjoyed your stay at the Polynesian despite the bad view. I agree with you; they need to turn on the Polynesian music in all areas of the resort!