Poly Planning

[jlee003]

We went to AKL this past August and had a blast. This summer is more of an extended family vacation to Ft Meyers beach. We were bummed, but hey, family is family.

Now to the fun part. We decided that next Summer, to be specific June 12-21 2018, would be our next WDW trip. My 2 kiddos picked the Poly this time. So obviously I have been in full research mode. I was wondering if anyone had any idea when the packages will be available to book for that time frame. Also, I know there are various discounts that come and go, and I was curious if anyone had successfully been able to get discount applied retroactively without losing your previous reservation?


All in all, this will be my planning thread, so any input would be great. This will be our 3rd trip. First we went for only a week to AoA. It was OK but felt a bit like mass vacationing. Our second trip was 10 days to AKL, and that was amazing. We loved everything about it, except for the transportation side. We like the idea of having non bus options to get around, but have not stayed at a monorail/boat resort yet.

Thanks in advance for any opinions.

 

[monorailsilver]

We love the Poly for that reason of the boat and monorail. We dread the bus! When it was DH and I/pre kids/dating, we have even taken the bait from the studios to Epcot, grabbed lunch and took the monorail back.

Pick one that you like the best. Everyone's needs are different. I love the Poly. I would chose the GF 2nd and the CR 3rd but that is me.

As far as Ft. Myers, April will be our 5 family trip there. DH and I went once while dating. We love barefoot beach which is either in Bonita springs or north Naples. We like the sand on ft. Myers beach but it's not our fav. Tons of sand dollars and we have seen sharks from the when people caught them.

Sanibel/captiva are ok. The main beach is ok. We like the lighthouse for shelling. We went up to captives beach (its like an hour drive) one day but it was cloudy and the waves were big so we just picked shells. We do go to The Bubboe Room every year for lunch...ok for the cake!

Our new favorite beach is about a 90 min drive north and it is so worth it. Free parking and sharks teeth galore. Manasota key beach off manasota beach road ( parking across the street).



This April we are going to the above beach twice, marathon key for 3 nights, kayaking around barefoot beach and. OT sure what else. But I know I need to sit on a beach for a bit!

 

[jlee003]

yeah we have been to ft Meyers before. We loved the mucky duck on sannibel island.

What is the earliest you have booked the poly? meaning what is the furthest in advance you have booked.

BTW, the pic looks like it was a fun day

 

[mickeynut1]

Now to the fun part. We decided that next Summer, to be specific June 12-21 2018, would be our next WDW trip. My 2 kiddos picked the Poly this time. So obviously I have been in full research mode. I was wondering if anyone had any idea when the packages will be available to book for that time frame. Also, I know there are various discounts that come and go, and I was curious if anyone had successfully been able to get discount applied retroactively without losing your previous reservation?

The Poly is a great choice, you will love it! The 2018 rates should be out sometime this summer (June-Aug time frame), at which time you can book a package. RO can be booked 499 days out (you will be quoted the highest rate for 2017, which will automatically adjust once the 2018 rates come out), but if you know you want a package, it's best to wait until the new rates are released. If you book RO now and change to a package later, the RO will have to be cancelled/refunded and a package booked, requiring a new $200 deposit. Since RO and packages are different reservation systems, money paid toward one cannot be applied to the other. If a discount comes out after you book, you can have it applied to your existing reservation, as long as what you have booked is available under that discount. Sometimes you have to be flexible with your resort/room type as having a reservation already in place does not guarantee a discount can be applied.

 

[jlee003]

thanks for the input. I should target mid summer for package.

Have any of you used an agent like small world vacations or dreams unlimited? I cant find a lot of reviews on them, but want to know if it is worth it to ensure you get as many discounts as possible. Right now using 2017 dates just for a quick estimate it is looking to be around 10-12k.

 

[Babsy]

The Poly is a great choice, you will love it! The 2018 rates should be out sometime this summer (June-Aug time frame), at which time you can book a package. RO can be booked 499 days out (you will be quoted the highest rate for 2017, which will automatically adjust once the 2018 rates come out), but if you know you want a package, it's best to wait until the new rates are released. If you book RO now and change to a package later, the RO will have to be cancelled/refunded and a package booked, requiring a new $200 deposit. Since RO and packages are different reservation systems, money paid toward one cannot be applied to the other. If a discount comes out after you book, you can have it applied to your existing reservation, as long as what you have booked is available under that discount. Sometimes you have to be flexible with your resort/room type as having a reservation already in place does not guarantee a discount can be applied.

Exactly!

thanks for the input. I should target mid summer for package.

Have any of you used an agent like small world vacations or dreams unlimited? I cant find a lot of reviews on them, but want to know if it is worth it to ensure you get as many discounts as possible. Right now using 2017 dates just for a quick estimate it is looking to be around 10-12k.

Many people like to use TA's as a good TA will do a lot of the legwork for you and will get on the phone to try for discounts on your behalf. Some may have agency only discounts or extras that they are able to add to make your vacation more magical.

We never use a TA, even when they may offer a better deal, basically because I continuously change my mind and because I am a bit of a control freak. I need to be the one to look after my reservation. There have been times when I used a TA and could not get a discount because the TA was busy and I didn't 'own' my reservation in order to make any changes myself. I just feel better being in control of my own vacation and not relying on someone else. What can I say? I love the planning. LOL!

 

[jlee003]

I am control oriented as well. With a TA do you lose the ability to make changes through MDE App prior to your visit?

 

[JasonMouse]

Love the monorail resorts. Poly is my favorite, BLT being a close second, both win in terms of transportation. The only downsides - they are twice the price as AKL and WL and there are no buses to/from EPCOT. You can walk to Poly from TTC though. We don't normally use a travel agent unless they can give us some sort of group rate, and the only one I know of is the weeks surrounding labor day.

 

[jlee003]

thanks for all of the input. I appreciate the responses. I will be updating with what i come across, so expect more questions as i go along.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We love the Poly!! Such a beautiful resort, very relaxing, but also close to other options. One of our favorite things to do at the Poly is go on the monorail and eat/explore and shop at the other resorts!

I always book myself through the Disney website and usually get a room discount. We did get free dining one year, which was good for us when we had two bottomless pit teenagers. Otherwise the room only discount works out best for us.

My favorite spot is 1st floor Niue facing the big pool. It was perfect, steps from the pools and the GCH. We loved it!

 

[jlee003]

are any of the upgraded views worth it?

 

[JennLTX]

Sorry! Post removed due to not being in the correct thread.

 

[mickeynut1]

thanks for the input. I should target mid summer for package.

Have any of you used an agent like small world vacations or dreams unlimited? I cant find a lot of reviews on them, but want to know if it is worth it to ensure you get as many discounts as possible. Right now using 2017 dates just for a quick estimate it is looking to be around 10-12k.

You're welcome! Have fun planning .

Many people like to use TA's as a good TA will do a lot of the legwork for you and will get on the phone to try for discounts on your behalf. Some may have agency only discounts or extras that they are able to add to make your vacation more magical.

I agree .

are any of the upgraded views worth it?

We aren't ones to pay for views, but I do think the Poly has some great lagoon & theme park views .

 

[RADOPT]

Have any of you used an agent like small world vacations or dreams unlimited?

It had been awhile but for our two WDW trips I used Dreams Unlimited. They took care of everything for me and were very helpful. I will be going solo next time and am trying to decide whether to use them or not but since they were so helpful and got us the discounts as they came out, I probable will use them again.

 

[jlee003]

staying on top of the discounts is the major factor driving me to consider a TA.

 

[Hopefully]

I am control oriented as well. With a TA do you lose the ability to make changes through MDE App prior to your visit?

Yes. You can not make any change to a reservation booked by a TA.

are any of the upgraded views worth it?

Worth is totally subjective. Only you know what worth is to you. How important is a view from your hotel room on vacation to you?

 

[Babsy]

I am control oriented as well. With a TA do you lose the ability to make changes through MDE App prior to your visit?

I haven't tried using a TA since MDE became available. However, I doubt that you would be able to make changes because the reservation doesn't 'belong' to you.

are any of the upgraded views worth it?

We aren't ones to pay for views, but I do think the Poly has some great lagoon & theme park views .

I absolutely agree with Mickeynut1 that the Poly has some great lagoon and TP views. That notwithstanding, we also rarely pay for views anymore. However, whether or not premium views are worth the cost is very subjective and views are obviously be 'worth it' to some.

 

[jlee003]

i guess to quantify the "worth it" statement, i meant that if i booked a standard room, is there a possibility i am looking at a loading dock, concrete jungle, bus loading zone...etc. I dont mind looking at a walking path, pool or something of that like.


That being said, i am very interested in the night time lagoon parade. if i could see that from my room it would be a big plus.


In a nutshell, i am excited due to the fact i just started planning, and it is such a ways off i am asking every question no matter how dumb to satisfy my excitement to talk to someone about it.

Sorry in advance

 

[Babsy]

i guess to quantify the "worth it" statement, i meant that if i booked a standard room, is there a possibility i am looking at a loading dock, concrete jungle, bus loading zone...etc. I dont mind looking at a walking path, pool or something of that like.


That being said, i am very interested in the night time lagoon parade. if i could see that from my room it would be a big plus.


In a nutshell, i am excited due to the fact i just started planning, and it is such a ways off i am asking every question no matter how dumb to satisfy my excitement to talk to someone about it.

Sorry in advance

A standard room could be looking at a parking lot, a tree, the side of a building, a rooftop or any view in some way deemed less desirable. Sometimes standard views aren't that bad, sometimes they are awful. It is a view that no one would be willing to pay extra for, basically, IMO. That is why we book just one category above standard - usually called garden view. WE don't want to look at a loading dock or an ugly roof from our balcony. Bushes, trees, walkways are fine by us though, so garden view is our usual choice!

If you want to be sure to see the lagoon parade, you want to book a lagoon view room or a theme park view room. A garden view MIGHT give you a sideways view, but you can't count on it, IMO.

The great views are lagoon or Theme Park View. You pay a lot for these, but they are lovely.

Don't worry about asking questions. That is what these boards are for! We all love to talk about Disney - we all get excited too!!!

Enjoy!

 

[cinnderly]

A standard room could be looking at a parking lot, a tree, the side of a building, a rooftop or any view in some way deemed less desirable. Sometimes standard views aren't that bad, sometimes they are awful. It is a view that no one would be willing to pay extra for, basically, IMO. That is why we book just one category above standard - usually called garden view. WE don't want to look at a loading dock or an ugly roof from our balcony. Bushes, trees, walkways are fine by us though, so garden view is our usual choice!

If you want to be sure to see the lagoon parade, you want to book a lagoon view room or a theme park view room. A garden view MIGHT give you a sideways view, but you can't count on it, IMO.

The great views are lagoon or Theme Park View. You pay a lot for these, but they are lovely.

Don't worry about asking questions. That is what these boards are for! We all love to talk about Disney - we all get excited too!!!

Enjoy!

I recently booked the Poly for August and I'm pretty sure they have done away with the "garden view" category. So it's just Standard, Lagoon, and Theme Park.