I still love the Poly despite no hot tub butif I want to use one, what does Disney offer? I hd shoulder surgery and a hot tub really helps the soreness stifness. Anything to share?
I don't think Disney "offers" anything. I guess you could go to the Grand Floridian and use that one, no idea if that's "officially" allowed. Or sign up for the spa over there. If you need a hot tub you should probably consider booking a resort that has one.
If I remember correctly, the Poly and the GF share the GF "health club" (it's between them near the wedding chapel). There is a jacuzzi in there that you could use. I know it was closed for a while (maybe bc of the GF DVC mess) but I thought it opened up. It's been a while since I needed this info, so I may not be up to date... Hopefully someone here can confirm or refute this info....
Everybody has their own individual deal breaker. I can live without a balcony, but I want a hot tub next to the pool. I like to switch back and forth between the hot water and the cold. The spa at the GF just wouldn't cut it.
I think the Poly is such a beautiful resort, and I love the restaurants. I just don't want to be without a hot tub if I'm paying deluxe prices.
And other DISers have gotten bedbugs, Norovirus, food poisoning, had snakes and bugs in their rooms all at Disney resorts and parks. There's always some danger lurking in public places. I still visit them. The odds are overwhelmingly in my favor that as long as I don't drink the water in the pool or hot tub, and I shower when I'm done, I'll be just fine.
You can get sick from any poorly managed pool, spa, or hot tub. The CDC gives tips on how to prevent it. One of the biggies is wash your swimsuit and wash with soap after bathing. They recommend the same thing for after using a pool.
Part of keeping both pools and spas safe is adequate health inspection and proper chemical maintenance.
Taking a bath with strangers used to be how taking a bath was done. Letting risk stand in the way of enjoying something is a personal choice but really all you need to do is make use of the showers that most pools/spas have available and wash off after a soak.
As for the topic question, I have not yet stayed at the Poly but according to the info I have received for my upcoming stay it appears Poly guests share the GF Health club as mentioned above. Since I planned to use it I used Google Earth to see how far it would be from the Hawaii Longhouse and it seems like a bit of a walk but not too bad.