Poly fans dont kill me but?????

[Leigh123]

Other than its on the mono-rail what is the huge attraction to this resort? I have viewed all the pics on debs site and also looked at the resort in person. To me the rooms do not look like anything special and the pool looks nice, but no more exciting than the grotto or the pool at the CSR. Again, nothing personal, I am just afraid I may be missing something by not staying there..

Thanks very much!

 

[Blondie]

The Polynesian has a very loyal client base! People love it and return again and again.

Personally, for me, it didn't "wow me" like I had hoped it would.

Yes, it has the monorail, and yes there are some great views of the Castle from the beach. But other than that, the rooms weren't anything spectacular for me. It was done in an island theme, lots of wicker, which isn't my cup of tea. The rooms are on the larger side though, and that is nice. I think what did me in was the color scheme. I don't care for all the dark earthy tones that the resort is comprised of. I'm more a pastel/bright color person. Dark colors tend to depress me.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't stay there again, because we probably will some day. But for right now, I'd like to sample some of the other WDW deluxe resorts!

 

[Tiffany]

Hi Leigh123,

My husband and I also do not see what the attraction of the POLY is but we have close friends that just love the place and that is where they stay every year. Form talking to them it seems to come down to what is the park/parks you spend the most time in.

They love the MK. That is the first park they have to go to when arriving at WDW and the last park they visit before they leave to go home. Being on the monorail to the MK is great for them. They stayed with us at the YC one year and even though they did enjoy the YC very much not being a short monorail ride away from the MK mattered to them.

We are not MK fans. It is the park we spend the least amount of time in. So for us the fact that the monorail resorts are close to the MK is not a perk to us. I have a feeling that if the MK was the park that we spent most of our time in that we would also stay at the POLY.

 

[Leigh123]

Thanks, I was starting to think it was just me. I actually prefer to spend most of my time at MGM, Water Parks and Downtown Disney so for me, the Epcot Resort area can't be beat.

 

[NCRedding]

I love the Poly's atmosphere--the torches, the music, the Aloha's from the staff, the transportation options--the launch, the walk to TTC, riding the monorail. I love being able to sit on the swing at the lagoon, watching the Electric Water Pageant. The pool isn't as nice as the grotto pool at the Dolphin, but was a much closer walk than our room at the Dolphin was to the pool. IMHO, there is no comparison to the CSR pool and the Poly pool. Other than the pyramid which is just for viewing (or at least when we stayed there is wasn't for walking, sitting, etc.) and the slide, there isn't much to the CSR pool--just squared off. I like the slide at the Poly much better than the CSR-SCR is longer, but Poly is more like a waterpark slide--closed in in places, twists, etc. The room size is wonderful at the Poly, much larger than the Dolphin and CSR. Beds are queens sized, not double. The bathrooms at CSR and Dolphin are about 1/2 the size (or smaller) that the Poly. The closet area is closed and spacious. I have no desire to stay at either the Dolphin or CSR again, but would love to go back to the Poly.

 

[Disneydenise]

I am one of the loyal following. I think that the Poly will be special to me forever for several reason, The memories are the most important. I also like the tropical theme. I like the decor. On the other hand the BC or the Swan and Dolphin decor is not one I like. They are nice hotels but I don't really want to stay at them again. I doubt I will ever go to the CSR. Different Strokes for Different folks. I think it is the marketing plan of Disney to have several price points and designs and themes to capture all the traveling public in one way or another. The Poly was an original WDW hotel and as a child I wanted to go to Hawaii and to stay at the Poly and the Cont. I have been fortunate to do WDW several times and when our kids are finished College I hope we can get a chance to spend time in Hawaii. Until then I guess I'll be staying at the Poly and dreaming. I do love the place and I got a great souvineer from my first trip, DD.

 

[slimplaw]

I find many people absolutely love the first WDW resort they stay in and base everything else on that experience. I have friends who will stay nowhere but the Poly, always have and always will. Another friend loves it because she can sit on the balcony drink her coffee and see the castle. Our first stay was at WL and it is definitely our favorite. I have stayed at WL, CS, Poly, and OKW. I enjoyed staying at the Poly, but the only perk for me was the monorail.

 

[CamColt]

Well, I wont kill you I guess, but..... J/K

I am one of the people who absolutely love the Poly. Im not saying it the BEST resort for everyone and everyones tastes, but I really enjoy it there. Here are some of the pluses I find....

Theming- I am a "tropical/beachy" type of person, so obviously the palm trees and island feel are what I like. Even the room decor goes along with that and I like that.

Beach- That view from the beach of the castle is just gorgeous. And even seeing the other resorts just makes me feel so "Disney"

Food-Kona Cafe is my absolute favorite restaurant!

Lounge-Nothing beats sitting in the Tambu Lounge sipping a frozen drink while watching the castle change colors. Thats how we spent the last night of our honeymoon during a hurricane.

Memories-DH & I spent our honeymoon there and now 1 night of our first trip w/out the kids so it does have special memories for me.

Location-Being able to see the fireworks & the EWP from right outside your door is convenient

Transportation-Not only is the monorail right there, but you have the TTC right next door, making transportation very easy. And the ferry boats to the MK are there too.

Pool- Just very cool all around! The 0 depth entry makes it very convenient for sitting & relaxing to cool off or for little ones to swim on their own(with supervision, of course).

These are just some of the highlights for me. Of course most of them you get at other resorts too, but I have found them here and am happy with it.

 

[lovmy2girls]

Just think if everyone loved the Poly, we fans would never get a good room.

 

[Poly Pal]

Tiki torches, MK views, transportation options, relaxing tropical atmosphere, usually uncrowded "quiet" pool, large room size and a real closet for luggage, a Disney original - last resort to have Walt's input, new "volcano" pool, and Mickey bars at Captain Cook's all add up to the perfect vacation escape from the ordinary for us. The rest of the properties just seem like "nice hotels everywhere else" to us.

Oh, I forgot the hammocks on the beach, the fun music throughout the resort, and those tropical drinks in pineapples with paper umbrellas (I'd feel silly ordering those anywhere else!)

Have a great vacation wherever you stay!

 

[Micca]

What I like best about the Poly is that it represents old school WDW. It was one of the original WDW hotels, and I think there is some Walt influence(it's like staying in the tiki room). I also love the theming. That said, I think the AKL, WL, and GF are all nicer as hotels. If you aren't totally enthralled with the polynesian theming, it's overpriced.

 

[lovmy2girls]

The view across the lagoon is just worth it all. For my little girl, who as we post is wearing a Cinderella Dress, to see the Castle from her room is a memory she nor I will never forget. You just feel like you have never left the magic kingdom, so to speak. You just jump on the boat and you are there in minutes. Its always in sight and you can just feel it. Being able to see the fireworks and water parade is just a few of the special things about it. As a little girl back in the 1970's right after the world opened, the poly and the Contemp. Resort was something we never could afford but was always in awh over, just something you passed by or went through.

 

[wdw47]

we always enjoyed our stays at the poly when our sons were youngerthey enjoyed sitting on the beach and watching the electrical paraide on the water and seeing the castle in the background unfortunatly they prefer the beach club now and its pool but we still have the memories of our stays there the torches that lite the path ways in the evening were nice to look at and relaxibg feeling and our boys use to love to stand on our room balcony and wave at the people on the monorail as it passed our room mabye when our boys no longer visit with us we will again return to the poly to relive old memories but for now the beach club july 2003 is our favorite.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We stayed in the Polynesian in 97. Because it is an older resort, the rooms are a bit bigger than the newer ones. The rooms also have a day bed (twin sized and big enough for an adult) and two queen sized beds. If you get a lagoon view, you can watch the fireworks from you balcony. You can also watch them from the beach. Lots of water sports to partake in - water mice, pontoon boats, etc. The lobby is nice and walking around the grounds is really relaxing. If you have kids, the Neverland Club is right on the property. Kids love staying there. It's kinda nice to be able to wake up and look out your window and see Space Mt and the castle. You can walk to the TTC and pick up the monorail to Epcot so easily. And if you are Catholic, they have Sunday mass in the Luau area on Sunday.

 

[tampafan]

We had read all about the Poly on these boards and were wowed by it during our first stay for Mother's Day this year! In fact, we spent an entire day just at the resort taking it all in. The pool area was great! We had a ball at the volcano. Our 6 year old loved the slide as good as any at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach! The fireworks from the beach are spectacular. The day bed in the room is great. There is a lot of good shopping. And last, but not least, the luao is excellent.

 

[erikthewise]

I'm a big Poly fan too but have to admit it simply isn't photogenic. It's hard to appreciate until you actually stay there.

Other deluxe resorts tend to be more impressive in pictures, and Disney promotional materials reflect this. In their half-hour free video you get just a fleeting glimpse of the Poly, while GF, BWI, and AKL get a lot more play.

 

[Trekker]

I've never stayed at the Polynesian, but this past May I had a friend staying there and was able to visit and see the rooms, grounds. lobby, etc.

I felt it was a wonderful atmosphere, very tropical and held some mystic for me - as I've always wanted to do Hawaii.

The one drawback I felt from my visit is that it is very big and you can end up with a room that is a very long walk from anything. This would be a negetive for me after days in the park and sore tired legs and feet.

I do hope to someday have a chance to spend some time at the Polynesian.

 

[leelee1971]

There's just something about it...it's hard to put into words. When I walk into the Great Ceremonial House, when I hear the first "Aloha," and when I'm walking to my longhouse. I couldn't imagine staying anywhere else. It's just indescribable beautiful in my mind, and it's relaxing, and very inviting. I think people either love it or they don't.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I have to admit, I felt the same about the Poly. I had no interest to stay there EVER. When we passed it, on our monorail rides, I actually said to my husband on more than 1 occasion, I don't get it, who would want to stay at the Polynesian? Well, when we go in Oct. (DH, DS, and myself), we are staying at the Poly Concierge. We wanted a monorail resort. The GF just seems too stuffy and with SOG being renovated, we couldn't get ressies at the CR. So we're at the Poly. My DH thinks its funny. I'm excited. It sure has a loyal following.

 

[CamColt]

Roliepolieoliefan, Ill be curious to see how you feel about it after your stay. Be sure to post. I hope you enjoy it!