Just returned from 10 days at Polynesian and 4 days at Universals Portofino with my wife, daughters 16 and 18 (celebrated 18th whilst at Polynesian) and son 9
Ive been reading these boards for only two months (didnt know it existed until my US travel agent forwarded the link) and in that time have been grateful for all of the fantastic information and advice thats been posted so decided to post a brief review in the hope that it may be useful to other Disney novices like us.
The Polynesian really is a beautiful resort with a great relaxed atmosphere. Upon arrival I was apprehensive about room allocation (Id read a few reports on room requests and how a room could make or break the vacation) Well I neednt of worried as the CM at reception was extremely helpful and very flexible with our room It was great to have a selection of rooms to choose from. I was told that the new rooms became available the day we arrived (24th September so not bad timing!) We decided upon a newly refurbished room Fiji 3315 The view of the harbour and lagoon was breathtaking, Id highly recommend Fiji to anyone. Dont be afraid to ask what rooms are available, the CM was genuinely pleased to help ensure I was happy with the room choice.
Wed not stayed in the older style rooms at The Polynesian so cant comment on the difference between the two, only that they looked great with plenty of room for us all and with three women together thats saying something. The sofa flipped over into a very comfortable bed for my son he loved it! Housekeeping was efficient and when we had a problem with a fuse maintenance arrived within 15 minutes to fix it.
We all loved the pool area, water slide, beaches and boat hire at the harbour was great fun. All of the above plus the convenience of having the monorail on our doorstep made the Polynesian an excellent choice worth every penny.
Only one negatives to report Ohanas is so popular, we found that the Tambu lounge bar was swamped from 5pm every night leaving absolutely no seating area for a relaxed cocktail or two. There are strollers and queuing diners everywhere! (is it always like this or because of the free dining plan?)
We also dined at Ohanas and found ourselves with five different servers all running around us like headless chickens, none of them knowing what the other had served us . It was mayhem and they knew it! (Ill save this and other dining experiences for the other board)
We visited a few other deluxe resorts during our stay, most looked great with fine amenities but lacked the unique Polynesian atmosphere .. we will return one day!
Ive been reading these boards for only two months (didnt know it existed until my US travel agent forwarded the link) and in that time have been grateful for all of the fantastic information and advice thats been posted so decided to post a brief review in the hope that it may be useful to other Disney novices like us.
The Polynesian really is a beautiful resort with a great relaxed atmosphere. Upon arrival I was apprehensive about room allocation (Id read a few reports on room requests and how a room could make or break the vacation) Well I neednt of worried as the CM at reception was extremely helpful and very flexible with our room It was great to have a selection of rooms to choose from. I was told that the new rooms became available the day we arrived (24th September so not bad timing!) We decided upon a newly refurbished room Fiji 3315 The view of the harbour and lagoon was breathtaking, Id highly recommend Fiji to anyone. Dont be afraid to ask what rooms are available, the CM was genuinely pleased to help ensure I was happy with the room choice.
Wed not stayed in the older style rooms at The Polynesian so cant comment on the difference between the two, only that they looked great with plenty of room for us all and with three women together thats saying something. The sofa flipped over into a very comfortable bed for my son he loved it! Housekeeping was efficient and when we had a problem with a fuse maintenance arrived within 15 minutes to fix it.
We all loved the pool area, water slide, beaches and boat hire at the harbour was great fun. All of the above plus the convenience of having the monorail on our doorstep made the Polynesian an excellent choice worth every penny.
Only one negatives to report Ohanas is so popular, we found that the Tambu lounge bar was swamped from 5pm every night leaving absolutely no seating area for a relaxed cocktail or two. There are strollers and queuing diners everywhere! (is it always like this or because of the free dining plan?)
We also dined at Ohanas and found ourselves with five different servers all running around us like headless chickens, none of them knowing what the other had served us . It was mayhem and they knew it! (Ill save this and other dining experiences for the other board)
We visited a few other deluxe resorts during our stay, most looked great with fine amenities but lacked the unique Polynesian atmosphere .. we will return one day!