Poly truth-is it true that it feels dated?

[TDluvsDaisy]

My signature says it all.

 

[Pluto1976]

Let's see, quiet serene atmosphere, two great sit-down restaurants, awesome CMs, the monorail, nice lounge, tiki bar, the smell in the lobby, low-lighting, spread out, the views from just about everywhere, great location, walk to GF, the shopping, park access, spacious rooms, and sandy beaches.

 

[goodferry]

Our family loves the Polynesian, it truly feels like a resort, I immediately relax as soon as we walk on the property! We never had a single problem with a room. With that said, Pop is really the only resort we have ever stayed in that we didn't like to the point where we would never go back and we have stayed in most of the deluxe resorts, CBR, BLT and Pop.

 

[Micca]

Another thing to consider is that the Poly's themeing is intentionally retro... it's sort of a 60's/70's kitschy tiki-bar thing. Some may perceive that as "OMG, they haven't redecorated this hotel in 30 years."

Since I grew up in the 60's and 70's, I absolutely love it. It's a reminder of my childhood.

Absolutely Lynne!!! The retro vibe is the whole point. If that's lost on someone, this is def not the resort for them!

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

Another thing to consider is that the Poly's themeing is intentionally retro... it's sort of a 60's/70's kitschy tiki-bar thing. Some may perceive that as "OMG, they haven't redecorated this hotel in 30 years."

I totally agree with this. I am torn about the idea of Disney ever doing a major transformation on the Poly. On the one hand, I would be interested to see what they would do to give it a modern twist, but at the same time, I think a major refurb might spoil the wonderful classic kitschy feel of the resort. And really, if I want to know what they might do differently now, I can just go to Aulani.

 

[SaraJayne]

We have not stayed at the Poly, only eaten at 'Ohana. So my experience has only been in the resort lobby and restaurant.

It's dark, musty and seems outdated. Not a place I'd ever be interested in staying, just by experiencing the lobby.

Bright, open and airy appeals to me much more than dark and musty.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just because something is dark doesn't mean it's dreary or outdated! We stayed at the Polynesian one time...really liked the resort and the room. Stayed in Tokelau. The room wasn't dreary or musty. I'm not sure where that comes from. Now, I have had musty rooms in other resorts. I think it's due to whether or not the room has been occupied recently!! IF the room is on the musty side, I just open the doors and let some air in....fine after that.

Now, will we stay at the Polynesian again? No. Why? We bought DVC, so no need to stay there. The only downsides I could find at the Polynesian were these...
1. The main pool felt a bit undersized for the number of people there. When we were there, there were non-resort people using the pool...and no, they were not DVC people who can pool hop. We could seldom find anywhere remotely close to the pool to sit, so we usually headed to the quiet pool outside our longhouse.

2. I wasn't crazy about walking to the main bldgs if it was raining. No way to stay dry.

Other than those two things, we liked the Polynesian. It is supposed to look the way it does. It's supposed to be authentic. But, if that's not your style, you aren't going to like it there. I have always wanted to stay at the WL, in one of the villas. So, we did. And I hated it. Now, I love WL...it's a beautiful resort. I love walking around it at night. But, our studio was dark and I didn't care for the way it was themed...way too rustic for my tastes. But, the vast majority of others love it there. I prefer BWVs....so that's where I own.

No one resort is going to 'get it done' for everyone. That's why there are so many choices at WDW.

 

[HowdyHeidi]

Isn't the GCH usually lit only by natural light till sundown? That is what I thought I saw there. And I guess you could say it was moist in there, but there is that huge water feature.

We weren't able to eat a Ohana, but Kona Cafe seemed bright enough to me...

 

[briandunne]

It does not feel dated to me. I'm not a fan of the Poly's theme and haven't stayed there yet, but I have eaten there many times and cut through when heading to the TTC/EPCOT from the GF. It's definitely a luxury resort, and it delivers high marks on the opulent splendor scale. As an original resort in which Walt had a hand, the resort has a special place in WDW lore [for me, at least]. Tikiman's Polynesian fan page has a nice, brief history of the resort, but as a noob, I cannot post it.

I tease my wife about the Poly's theming being Japanese POW camp/jungle rot to get a laugh out of her, but confess to looking forward to our coming 10 day visit to the concierge level next February. Again, while the theme doesn't resonate with me, it's part of my dream to stay at all of WDW's concierge levels and I won't kick the Poly in the shins without having fully experienced it.

The beauty of WDW is that there is such a wide range of lodging/theming/pricing options, so much so that I hesitate to invest in the DVC as I like moving around WDW so much. I also agree with the proposition that one should withhold judgment until experiencing something for oneself. The kids totally love eating at Ohana's. Me, less so. The Kona Cafe gets very high marks from me.

 

[Laketravis]

A lot of people will really love the Poly, it just depends on the individual. It was really "cool" when we stayed there as kids in the 70's when dark woods, earth tones, and avocado green appliances were all the rage, but when I stopped by the Poly last year I was very disappointed because it had a very stale feeling for me. Some people will appreciate and enjoy that it is just as it was 40 years ago, but I'd personally stay at the CR or GF before staying at Poly.

 

[pixarmom]

Another thing to consider is that the Poly's themeing is intentionally retro... it's sort of a 60's/70's kitschy tiki-bar thing. Some may perceive that as "OMG, they haven't redecorated this hotel in 30 years."

Since I grew up in the 60's and 70's, I absolutely love it. It's a reminder of my childhood.

Exactly!!! That's part of the theme, and I'm thankful that they haven't messed with it. My first Poly stay was in 1983 and my most recent was January of this year. I love the retro look of the lobby and the common areas, but I appreciate the updated rooms. I thought our room in Samoa was in great condition - it was also huge, well-themed and comfortable.

I often recommend Poly to friends for their first visit with small kids. But I do explain the theming first - I think knowing what to expect helps at least some first-time visitors.

 

[tigeramy75]

We are complete and total Poly devotees. We had planned a stay at WL for our trip last spring, but thankfully DH and I were able to put a little more money towards that trip, and we decided to switch to the Poly as we had both always wanted to stay there (we had done the Spirit of Aloha show on a previous trip and just loved the atmosphere). We literally walked into the lobby, checked in, and DH told the CM at the desk to add another night...that is how immediately taken with it he was!!! There are so many positives...we have two young boys, so the convenience of the transportation options cannot be overstated (not to mention the convenience of a great character breakfast just steps from our room!!! ) The grounds are so lovely. We had a ground floor room, so when we opened our curtains each morning we had plenty of light; no complaints there. There was nothing to compare with our last night there, when the boys, DH and I curled up on a lounge chair on the beach to watch Wishes while enjoying yummy Pina Colavas!!!

We are going back in May. Cannot wait. I would never use the word "dated" to describe it. It is an original WDW resort, and you can tell it is an original, and to me, that's pretty awesome in and of itself. We had super-high expectations for it, and it fulfilled them all.

 

[vinotinto]

It's dated. I should have taken a picture of the seating area next to the elevator in Tahiti. It was so fake-tropical, FL patio, circa 1985.

It's comfortable, the rooms are big, they have a good daybed, it has a good location, and in general, there's nothing 'wrong' with it. The pool is nice. I liked that it was small, easier to keep an eye on the kiddos.

The price charged is waaay above any of the amenities offered, style (what style?), or yes, even the 'theming' of it (it may be me, but I did NOT feel I was in the Polynesian isles). The balcony was dirty and uninviting - we did not use it once in 8 nights. The restaurants were mehhh. I know many love Ohana, but that whole meal was just so pedestrian. And what they are counting as a "signature" is that Aloha show.

Personally, I do hope Disney does a complete tear-down and uses that space to make a kick-*** resort, or at least a charming one, with a real restaurant, spa, and style. We stayed once, with a 40% discount pin, and we have no plans to go back any time soon.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've visited the Poly many times and have only stayed once, but that was enough to get us hooked. Prior to our stay, I was in your position and read alot of not-so-good reviews and started second guessing my resort choice. I finally decided that we wouldn't know if the Poly was for us until we tried it for ourselves as we had always wanted to stay there. Once I decided to stick with it, I couldn't wait to get there. We loved the Poly the minute we checked in. The rooms are huge and the tropical atmosphere is very relaxing. We also loved the pool, the lit tiki torches at night, being within walking distance to the TTC, and relaxing in a hammock on the beach watching the fireworks . The Poly was everything we thought it would be and then some. We have stayed at all of the deluxe resorts except 3 and the Poly is #1 on our list. We have had great stays at all of the resorts we've stayed at, but there is just something about the Poly that gets us......everything about it is great and we feel like we are in a different world when we're there and we just love it .

 

[Sue M]

I love the theming, lush landscapping (CR leaves me cold) beautiful beaches with hammocks, watching Wishes from the beach & Electric Water Parade, the Torches lit in the evening, being able to see MK & The Castle from many spots, the great transportation - having the monorail or boat to MK, and walking path to TTC for Epcot monorail, 2 of my fav restaurants, Dole Whips at Capt. Cooks and the large rooms. Walking path to GF. If it wasn't so expensive I'd stay more often! But I lucked out with a 45% AP rate one year.
The only thing I don't like about Poly is the price.

 

[Scarlett81]

Thank you Poly lovers!!
Just booked the Poly for our girls long weekend trip...I think its a good/cool resort choice for that type of trip.
It seems to offer a little bit of everything-good theme, perfect location (how could you get better?), and we love polynesian/asian fusion type food.

I'm keeping my expecations reasonable which I think people forget to do sometimes. At the GF I paid astronomical prices-New York Plaza prices-for the room. While the hotel is beautiful, to a degree you are paying for the Disney name, as well as the monorail. So if people book the Poly for example, paying $450 per night and expecting 5 star Hawaii-you will set yourself up for disappointment.
I'm expecting a cool theme, a kitschy 70s vibe, monorail convenience and beautiful landscaping. I'm also expecting dark room/halls bc people seem to say that across the board. Why care?? I'll just tell the ladies to bring their lit makeup mirrors for the bathroom!

Thank you for all the help!!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

It's the price they charge....yeah, it's a monorail resort but rack rate is out of sight for what you actually get....

I can enjoy the torch lit path ways, the beach, the tropical feel but it comes at a price I'm not willing to pay...even with a decent discount...we've stayed there alot of years ago before their rates got so high and discounts were bigger....decent resort but the small pool, gets too crowded and very few chaise loungers and table abound...and I not one to pay a big room rate and use a quiet pool.....Kona has decent food, really enjoy the meals there but Ohauna is a real joke.....for what the ask for meals and how the food comes, if it does come (2 bad experiences there with service, food and drinks) we'll never waste our time or money again....

It's a decent resort, pleasant to walk around, just needs alittle sprucing up, more dedication to customer service and a price drop.....but people pay their price so why do it....for us we can stay longer at the WL (yeah smaller rooms and no monorail) for alot less money and still be close to the monorail and the boat is a breeze to the MK...

Not trying to burst anyones bubble, it you enjoy the tropical feel and have the cash...have at it.....we've moved on...

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Another thing to consider is that the Poly's themeing is intentionally retro... it's sort of a 60's/70's kitschy tiki-bar thing. Some may perceive that as "OMG, they haven't redecorated this hotel in 30 years."

That's EXACTLY what I was going to say! When they did the huge room overhaul a few years back, they intentionally stayed with a very kitschy retro type theme with all the rooms. To say it's "dated" is kinda...no offense...to just not get it.

The last time we stayed there (as you can see from my sig) was May 2007. The rooms had just been redone, and we thought our room was gorgeous. The rooms are enormous, the views are pretty much all good, transportation can't be beat...it's a wonderful place!

Now if they'd only do a Poly DVC....

 

[fla4fun]

I think Retro is the perfect word to describe the Poly (and CR as well). There have been updates to all of the rooms more than once, and of all the public areas as well. If you find online photos of Poly "back in the day" the only thing that is the same is the basic structure of the buildings - everything else has been changed. As far as dark vs. light, WL and AKL are also "dark" resorts - the lighting is part of the overall theme. It won't appeal to everyone, but neither will the light and airy feel of some of the other resorts.

They are trying to create the Polynesian experience that exists in our imaginations - not trying to faithfully recreate an actual Polynesian island. It's supposed to be a little of everything, not anything specific, and more of a feeling that you can't quite put your finger on. I think it succeeds at this very well. It implies you are in the south Pacific, like WL implies you are in the Pacific Northwest, and AKL implies you are in Africa.

Is the resort perfect - no. None of the Disney resorts are perfect. They all have pros and cons. They all have their up times and their down times, which reflects the management team currently in residence. But I don't think you can go into any Disney resort and expect it to be comparable to an off property stay at the price, nor can you expect the "theme" of any given Disney resort to be an accurate, up to date, representation of what it implies. There are differences in WL and the actual lodge buildings of the west. There are differences in SSR and the actual Saratoga Springs in NY. There are differences in YC/BC and actually staying in a resort on the New England coast.

I like Poly. I like the theme, I like the location, I like the transportation options, I like the size of the rooms, the restaurant choices, and the ease of visiting other nearby resorts. The main drawback for me is the separate buildings, which limits the times of the year I will stay there (but I have the same issue with any of the resorts with separate buildings, not just Poly).