Polynesian....good or not good?!

[MissionMouse]

Thank you everyone who answered! Made me feel a lot better! After hearing a few bad opinions I started to panic but your opinions made me feel much happier!

We have had great vacation while staying at the PR. It does get a lot of challenges due to its location and popularity. If your trip is scheduled for 2013 you may want to keep your radar up, since there are various rumors going around about some level of construction project starting in 2012. From DVC to major renovation up to including the look and layout of the resort. Some rumor it is the start of making the property look more like their resort they opened in Hawaii.

 

[crcurton]

We love the Poly as well! It's beautiful and convenient!

 

[frankieeyre]

1st of all, welcome to the Disboards. 99.9998% of the time you are gonna get alot of helpful info on here.

2nd...remember this....A negative experience tends to get posted more often than a positive experience. Its only natural. Dont let anyones negative reaction to something sway you one way or another...

Different strokes...for different folks.

That being said, we were swayed by a posters negative reaction to something way back in 2003...(that poster is still on these boards) and every time I see her posting I just skip on past it.

The Poly is our favorite followed by POR and then YC. I surprised DW for Mothers Day and switched from YC to the Poly for our August trip and then she surprised me for Fathers day and got us 2 extra nights. (13 nights total)

The 2 main reasons why we are staying here this year;
1) its our favorite
2) if all the rumors are true, the poly will be going under a major renovation/rebuilding starting end of 2012 into 2013 and beyond.

If #2 is true, then we wont stay there during construction. If #2 is not true, then the door is open for us next year.

read on tikiman2001.com. this website is great and it wont guide in the wrong direction.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much!! I am now slightly worried about this construction work, I am going in the summer of 2013. Do you think construction will be a major issue? Will it ruin the holiday?

 

[frankieeyre]

We have had great vacation while staying at the PR. It does get a lot of challenges due to its location and popularity. If your trip is scheduled for 2013 you may want to keep your radar up, since there are various rumors going around about some level of construction project starting in 2012. From DVC to major renovation up to including the look and layout of the resort. Some rumor it is the start of making the property look more like their resort they opened in Hawaii.

Ah oh no do you think the construction will be a major problem?! Do you think we should look into changing hotels?

 

[gilsan]

We stayed at Poly on our last trip, didn't expect to love it but I did. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

[kinggoofy]

Thank you very much!! I am now slightly worried about this construction work, I am going in the summer of 2013. Do you think construction will be a major issue? Will it ruin the holiday?

I am not sure. I think we will all find out more once the plans, IF true, become official.

From what I have read on Tikimans site, it seems like alot of the resort will be renovated and the GCH may/may not be taken down and rebuilt.

For our money...thats why we are staying there this year, before this supposedly all starts. We will be in Disney for the week after Thanksgiving (staying at POR), i know for sure we will be stopping by the Poly and checking things out if anything has been done yet.

I know the GF is adding DVC but it wasnt rebuilt they way the rumors are flying around about the Poly.

Has anyone here stayed at the GF during their construction ?...if so, how did it affect you ?

 

[PrincessShea]

I don't think you can beat the location of the MK resorts. The theme is so beautiful and I just love the atmosphere, so I think you made a good choice

My only question would be what other resorts have you stayed at? Have you ever stayed at the Epcot resorts? (Beach Club, Boardwalk)? I only ask because 16 days is a loooooooong time (sooo jealous, btw ) Maybe splitting your stay at another hotel you've never been to would be fun and give you a chance to enjoy another atmosphere.

 

[Amy&Dan]

dbl post

 

[Amy&Dan]

Where the Poly really shines is the theming in the common areas. There's a very authentic feeling island vibe, the grounds are lush, and it's got a great view of MK at night. It's also tough to beat the location, since you're on the monorail and right by the TTC, so you can get to EPCOT without taking the loop all the way around. Oh, and there's DoleWhip on the premises.

With that said, the room that I stayed in when I was there last year was very pedestrian, and if you strip the theming away, it was really no different from a garden variety hotel room and not particularly "luxurious." Also, the rooms and some of the buildings could really use an update. That doesn't really detract from the experience, IMO, but I did notice it, so I thought it was worth mentioning. I'd stay there again.

I totally agree! We love the grounds, lobby and overall atmosphere. Our room was very spacious, but it didn't have the "wow" factor I had expected.

My only other complaints were the smallish pool area and lack of a hottub.

But I would stay there again after I have tried ither resorts.

The beach area is one of my favorite spots in WDW! Bottom line all resorts have their plusses and minuses.

I can't imagine you will regret staying there, I for sure didn't!



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[kaligal]

It is good, but it isn't great. Not even close to the hype it received on the DIS over the years. I do like it and have stayed there many, many times.

Between RPH and poly, I prefer RPH. It has that Polynesian vibe, but with a pretty, bright, updated feel. Poly is older and kind of dark. But I like the look of what may be the renovation. There is a great deal of buzz about Disney building time-share at the Poly, so I'm not sure if this new stuff is for the regular rooms or the new rooms or what.

 

[kinggoofy]

It is good, but it isn't great. Not even close to the hype it received on the DIS over the years. I do like it and have stayed there many, many times.

Between RPH and poly, I prefer RPH. It has that Polynesian vibe, but with a pretty, bright, updated feel. Poly is older and kind of dark. But I like the look of what may be the renovation. There is a great deal of buzz about Disney building time-share at the Poly, so I'm not sure if this new stuff is for the regular rooms or the new rooms or what.

I gotta be honest here...but what is "RPH" ?

 

[bellebud]

I gotta be honest here...but what is "RPH" ?

I'm guessing Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal??

 

[kandb]

16 nights at the Poly??? Did you have to re-mortgage your home to afford that? I would love to do disney for that many days. Enjoy!

 

[kinggoofy]

I'm guessing Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal??

Alrighty then. Thanks

 

[bellebud]

Hi guys!!

I've just booked my vacation for 2013, 16 days at the Polynesian Resort.
I am very excited as we have never stayed in the Poly before, we have stayed at Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom and some others. I have loved every resort we have been too. I'm 19 from the UK and a massive disney lover!

I've heard loads of good things about Poly but as soon as I started reading through some threads on here I found a lot of people that don't like the Poly and think it's really bad!

Please can you guys give me some honest opinions!!

You don't say what month in 2013. I've stayed at the Poly a few times, and although we loved the resort (relaxing, tropical, beautiful view and ground, love the lobby and restaurants, TTC for Epcot), I don't see us staying there again anytime soon.

The pool was always soooo crowded. It's a small pool to begin with, and I swear once it was practically elbow to elbow in the pool. It honestly felt dangerous to me w/ 2 little ones (kids were maybe 4 and 5). It's certainly beautiful, and maybe if you're not going during a crowded time, it won't be so bad. It's a pool hopping pool for sure - maybe that's the issue, or maybe it's just too small to accommodate the number of rooms the poly has.

I'd also be very unhappy if we got a room that doesn't have a balcony (there are a few buildings like that). There's no guarantee for that, and I just wouldn't chance it. That's actually a bigger thing for me than the pool.

BUT, it is a wonderful resort if you don't care about those 2 things. Those are the only downsides to me, but they're big ones for my family. If your family doesn't care, I do recommend the resort.

I want to also recommend doing a split stay somewhere else. What about a 1 bedroom villa (you don't say how many people are going). I'd do an Epcot resort (Boardwalk Villas or Beachclub Villas) for the 2nd week you'll be there. You'll have a kitchen (if you're a little tired of eating 3 meals a day out), and a washer/dryer in the room. I LOVE the washer/dryer in the room.

With a trip so long, I personally would love a split stay. It will feel like 2 vacations, and you'll have plenty of time at each to really enjoy all the resort has to offer.

I'd also be worried about the construction. I personally stay far away from any construction, if I don't know for sure how big or little the impact will be.

Again, it is a beautiful resort, and if they'd simply put balconies on all the rooms (it's a deluxe, after all!), and fix the pool situation, we'd stay there again a lot!

 

[toodycat]

I'm one of those people who isn't crazy about the Poly. I've stayed there twice. The first time, we arrived at WDW earlier than expected and the Poly just happened to have space for us. The second time, we wanted to be on the monorail and couldn't afford the GF. So you can see that we just kind of happened into both our stays. We weren't specifically planning Poly vacations and we are admittedly very biased in favor of the GF. However, I do think of myself as a fair person. So here is my overall assessment:

Location: The location is absolutely superior. You are on not one, but two monorail routes. Thus, getting to MK and Epcot is equally easy and convenient. The resort has a great beach on the lagoon and wonderful views of the Magic Kingdom. We love the Electrical Water Pageant in the evenings and the ability to watch the fireworks from the beach.

Theme: I think the South Seas theme is nice, but it is not my favorite. I find it a little too kitschy. If you are the kind of person who loves that sort of decor and foliage, you will love the Poly with all its greenery and waterfalls. The theming is very thorough. There are even hula lessons for kids in the lobby. These are cute to watch. Public spaces are beautifully themed, but a little smaller than average WDW resorts because the Poly is older.

Rooms: I really liked the rooms. We were in a a garden view in Rapanui once in 2006 and a lagoon view room way back in 2000. Both rooms were clean and very spacious. Rapanui had just been rehabbed when we stayed there and everything was new. I couldn't tell you whether or not the Poly has maintained the quality of the rooms since then, but when we were there, everything was lovely. What I don't like about the Poly longhouses are the hallways which are dull and unadorned. They feel sort of like college dorms to me. I've seen photos of rooms with designs on the door, but I've never had one.

Pool: My son loved the volcano pool. DH and I liked the design, but found it crowded and, at the end of the day, not overly clean.

Dining: Part of my lack of Poly passion comes from not liking the cuisine that much. Kona Cafe is good, not great. "The Spirit of Aloha" show is fun, but the food is not special.

Service: We had positive and negative experiences with cast members. We were checked in by a CM who was totally surly last time. However, when we dined at Kona Cafe, I left my wallet with $700 cash and multiple credit cards on the table. When I realized my mistake, I ran back and our waiter had it ready! Everything was intact. What a hero! The gentleman who took us by golf cart to our room was very sweet and personable as well as was the woman who coordinated our transfers to the Disney Magic.

Price: Ultimately, the Poly is not inexpensive. I feel like I get more value for my money at the GF because I like the theme and food better there. I think that when people are negative about the Poly it is frequently because of price.

I think you can see that most of the things we didn't like are just preferences regarding theme and cuisine. Objectively, the Poly is a very well-run and well-situated resort with a lot of positives. I don't think it will disappoint you.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

The Poly is our favorite resort. We LOVED it when we stayed there for the 1st time last August. We're staying again Aug. 2013. We loved everything about it - the rooms, the pool area, dining, monorail access, and most especially - Wishes from the beach. We stayed in Tokelau and found it to be the most convenient for everything - it's very centrally located.

You'll get lots of opinions because everyone has different experiences, but we truly loved out stay and can't wait to be back there next year after our quick trip this Aug. at POR!