Labor Day Poly stay-- great!!!

[SpoonfulofSugar]

We just returned from a great but short stay at the Poly Hawaii longhouse to celebrate my sons birthday!!! This was our second time at the Poly and first in Club Level and it was great!!! The grounds were beautiful and the staff was all friendly and very helpful and everyone we encounted seemed truly happy!!! What a wonderful time we had. The kids loved the pool-- when it was open. It was closed twice for weather for a few hours and once for a clean up (I believe a kiddie accident). The music on the beach area is just the best!!! It sets the whole mood and just takes you away to paradise!!! I wish I bought the CD before I left!!! Also being able to hear them opening the MK in the morning and hear the music during the fireworks is great!!
We arrived late friday and were escorted right to our room-- a second floor room-- where my sons present was waiting- I wanted pirate crocs and a stuffed pirate mickey with balloons and a card that I arranged with IPO. Waiting for him were the Crocs in a sand bucket and a card from Goofy. He loved it but I was disappointed that there was no pirate mickey or any ballons when I was told it would all be there, I even offered to pay for the ballons to make sure they were there. I also requested a room with a balcony but no luck (actually I think we got someone elses room that they didn't want because there was someone else's card and chocolate bar on the table, next to ours, and we had no towel mickey on the bed with the Aloha envelope to tell us the lounge hours. I asked the next morning to have our room changed because the room below ours was ignoring the smoking rules and we couldn't open the sliding door without my kids choking (2 or them have bad allergies were just at the doctor the night before with sinus infections) or the room filling up with second hand smoke. But it turned out to be a good thing because we were moved to a first floor room that was great! The kids loved to be able to get up in the morning and run right out on the beach to play pirates!!! It was the best stay on disney property we've had. The kids can't wait to go back!!!!
My one complaint about the Poly is the shower heads!!!! I'm 5'9" and found it challenging to wash my hair--LOL-- everytime we were outside and someone over 6' would walk by I would just laugh to myself!!!
My only other complaint would be about the people who ignore the new smoking policy. I could not believe how many people were smoking on their balconies. I have nothing against smokers, I just don't want to smell it!

 

[oliviansmom17]

It's great to hear a pleasant story coming from the Poly! Lately it's been fairly negative...we're going there in a few weeks. We've always had a lovely stay there, so I was beginning to worry that the service had deteriorated. Glad to know it hasn't for everyone!!

 

[Caitsmama]

Glad you had a great time! We are staying poly concierge in November..
How did you find the food in the lounge? Did they have good bbq ribs? LOL I am dying for good ribs! Did you have the tonga toast?

 

[cinmell]

My only other complaint would be about the people who ignore the new smoking policy. I could not believe how many people were smoking on their balconies. I have nothing against smokers, I just don't want to smell it!

We returned home last night from an 8 day stay at the Polynesian and I noticed the same thing too. I also noticed that people had thown their pool towels wherever they felt like it. I saw a wet pool towel on the big rock outside of Samoa and saw a couple on those short brown lamps along the walkways.

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

We just returned from CSR and I saw people smoking on the balconies everyday, if it was'nt for the disboards I would not have known about the change in smoking policy, I also saw a few people walking around the main pool smoking. I don't know if it's posted anywhere but I did'nt see it just an occasional area with a permanent ash can. I think they need to make it more known to the smokers, just because there is no ashtray does'nt mean they assume it's non smoking. We went to O'hanas for dinner on Friday and took a stroll around the poly, I thought it was a beautiful resort the pictures I had seen did'nt do it justice and the people were very friendly. Linda

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Glad to hear you had a great trip. Did you enjoy the lounge? We stayed Concierge and never even got the chocolate postcard.

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

Glad you had a great time! We are staying poly concierge in November..
How did you find the food in the lounge? Did they have good bbq ribs? LOL I am dying for good ribs! Did you have the tonga toast?

We thought the food in the lounge was great and lots of it!!! The bbq ribs were good but we loved the make your own mini pork bbq sandwiches and the kona sticky wings and Kona chowder were the absolute best !!!! We didn't try the tonga toast we were too full after the fruit, cinnamen rolls and cheese danish from the lounge--LOL .
You will have a great time--- I wish I was going again!!!!!

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

Glad to hear you had a great trip. Did you enjoy the lounge? We stayed Concierge and never even got the chocolate postcard.

We really enjoyed the lounge alot more than I thought we would, my kids are still quite young 6,3,1 and they are always looking for something to snack on and drink-- especially milk, my family always jokes that we should just buy a cow-LOL
But the lounge was very nice and relaxing to sit and wait while we changed rooms and when we were waiting for the ME bus.
I didn't expect to get the postcard but was thrilled we did, my kids can't believe they can eat it!!!! Maybe it just get lost like the extra one in our room--- but I did take the extra one in our room down to the desk so they could give it to the other people, I would hate for someone to keep mine.

 

[Poly Pal]

OH! Another reason to stay in Rapa Nui...shower heads are mounted higher!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks for that great report. This December my parents and I are staying in a Club Level Garden View in the Hawaii Longhouse, so it makes me happy when I read about someone else who had a great stay there.

 

[disneyfan67]

I'm glad to hear you had a good time. I stayed in the Hawaii building in July and had a first floor, garden view room. I enjoyed my 7 night stay there and I think the staff was fantastic. I got to meet Chef Dick and even had my picture taken with him. The staff treated my family quite well and it was best trip so far. As much as I don't care for the higher rack rates on those rooms, I still want to stay there again and probably will next year, but for a much shorter stay next time.

As for the shower heads, I know what you mean about them being so low. When I stayed in the Samoa building in 2005, my room had one of those detachable Shower Massage heads that had a hose attached to it. It sat in a bracket located on the shower head area and that made it sit higher up than the normal head did. I stayed at the AKL for the first two nights on that trip and you notice in the newer hotels, the higher height difference right away. I guess the designers back in the early 70's didn't think about things like that.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Glad to hear you had such a great time! One day I'll make it to Club Level at the Poly.