Must dos at poly

[patm95]

We decided to tack on an extra day this May at poly. It’s our first time staying there and we want to evaluate how we like it because we are thinking about adding on. We are staying in a studio preferred view (not at the tower). What should we do/checkout to better evaluate if we want to buy here?

 

[cruisehopeful]

I would get some food and drink at the Grand Ceremonial House at different times of the day. Although, since you are in a preferred view room, you might be kind of far away from it. Walk around the property. It'll give you an idea of how much time you'll be in the heat or rain going from point A to point B.

 

[patm95]

I would get some food and drink at the Grand Ceremonial House at different times of the day. Although, since you are in a preferred view room, you might be kind of far away from it. Walk around the property. It'll give you an idea of how much time you'll be in the heat or rain going from point A to point B.

Great point. We don’t mind walking around. We plan to spend our entire time at the resort.

 

[Kailunkat]

I think in general people either love the kitsch and vibe at PVB OR think it's too dense/crowded/over-hyped. You should know pretty quickly where you hit on that scale.

Some special Polynesian perks if you are doing a resort stay:

1. Trader Sam's. If you love a Tiki drink this should be a top priority. There are no reservations and you have to join the wait list in person (so you should have a good opportunity to get in if you are hanging at the resort this trip). People start lining up around 2pm on the bottom floor of GCH in the hallway headed towards Island tower. The door is unmarked but if you see people waiting around down there for no reason - now you know why!
2. Take advantage of all the wonderful dining options. The options at Polynesian are all good (the Pineapple-Coconut Bread Pudding at Ohana and Kona is so good I will travel just to have a piece) but where PVB goes beyond is the fact that you can easily walk to Grand Floridian and its GREAT restaurants, or hop on the monorail to head over to Contemporary for Steakhouse 71 or California Grill.
3. I am not sure how the access to the Island tower outdoor terrace gardens is working ATM - they were restricted only to tower guests at opening - but if they are accessible now you should definitely walk over and relax there.
4. Watch the fireworks from the beach or the "hill" between the island tower and the lake.

 

[maui22]

Definitely walk around the resort. Food at GCH (Ohana or if you can’t get in, go to Tambu Lounge and order a couple items to try. We like the Ohana Noodles. Even Capt Cooks has variety. Wailulu bar and grill at the tower is really good. Dole Whip is also fun.

If you happen to like espresso martinis, definitely go to Wailulu for one. Warning, they are really good.

For fireworks, the areas we fell in love with are Sunset point (hill near the bungalows, sitting in a swing but I believe only one can see the fireworks, and over by island tower there are hammocks and more).

We like to watch the families watching movies at night near GCH.

Check out the electric water pageant too, which is typically right after the fireworks. It’s been going on for more than 50 years. Not super exciting until you realize it’s been going on for 50+ years. Becomes a tradition for many.

I also suggest getting a tour at Island Tower. Fun to see the difference in rooms. The 1BR was really well done.

Enjoy, there is so much to do at the resort.