Polynesian Short Stay Ideas

[cruisehopeful]

I'll be in the longhouses in the beginning of August, prior to a cruise. We're arriving in the evening (probably 8:00pm) and staying 2 nights. I think we're catching the bus to the cruise in the morning on the third day, so that day is a wash. I'm trying to figure out if we should just stay put at the resort, visit other resorts or go to Magic Kingdom for a few hours on our full day. I'm very sensitive to humidity and not sure if it will be worth the hassle of going to the park. I'm an old school Disneyland regular. So, there are a few attractions at Magic Kingdom Park that hold a lot of warm, fuzzy nostalgia for me.

With that said, if YOU were going to arrive in the evening and spend a whole day at the resort, WWYD specifically? I don't enjoy public pools. I will hang out by them and have a snack/drink, but I don't like being in people soup and it's extremely unlikely that I would use the pool. It's going to be 2 adults, no kids. I'm a crazy Disney and Hawaii fan. My normal favorite activities are swimming (in my own pool), hiking, chilling with a tropical drink and chatting with the bartender or whoever else is sitting nearby, shopping for exclusive merchandise (DVC, resort specific, things not found everywhere), being in the middle of the magic and enjoying the vibe. We also love to go to the spa. I'm going to price compare the spa at The Grand Floridian vs the Spa on the ship and figure out which seems better.

While we were originally just going to hang at the Poly and possibly go to the Grand Floridian for a meal or the spa, I'm now wondering if that will be too much like being on the cruise. I'll have 2 sea days on the ship and our 2 ports are both the Disney islands. A resort day is awesome, but I do get bored after one sea day on the ship and am second guessing spending a whole day at the Poly on the full day.

 

[tofubeast]

Since you mentioned drinks, I'd definitely head over to Trader Sam's and grab a seat indoors. It is quite fun and cool in there. It will give you Tiki Room feels for sure. The servers can be quite funny, too. I know the new Polynesian tower has a great new restaurant/bar with views of MK across the lake.

You can also spend a nice evening on the BoardWalk, perhaps enjoying a meal or desssert at the new Cake Bake Shop and having drinks at the AbracadaBar. Of course, there's always Disney Springs, and there's an AMC theater and Splitsville there for some indoor a/c time.

 

[Wayland10]

There’s motorized boat rental from the monorail resorts other than the Poly if you’d enjoy that. Or mini golf, Disney springs for a few hours if you like to shop, or visiting the horses at the campground, you can rent a kayak there too.

 

[Wayland10]

Duplicate post

 

[Mle8308]

If you are sensitive to humidity, August is not going to be pleasant for you. It's the most humid month of the year, so prepare yourself. It's beyond hot and humid and the rain every afternoon makes it worse. It's a little better in the evening, so maybe enjoy Disney Springs at night. During the day, you could do the monorail loop and get off at each resort, it keeps you inside where it's cooler! Tambu Lounge is the bar on the second floor of the Grand Ceremonial House, you could definitely enjoy a few hours there!

 

[Steelers0854]

We use trips like these to go to eat at places that may be a little harder to get to. Since we don’t normally stay at Riviera or Gran Destino we will book reservations for Toledo or Topolinos and then not have to stress about losing time taking the bus to MK and then monorail or boat back to the Poly. Maybe even sneak in a Boma breakfast too

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

I would go to a park. If it’s late in August, I would see if I could get tickets to the Halloween party.

 

[TexasJedi]

Watching fireworks and the Electrical Water Pageant from the Poly beach is always fun and feels like a quintessential part of a resort stay at the Polynesian to me, and the evening should at least be more tolerable than the daytime weather.

Given the personal preferences you've described, I'd probably look to do a couple of resort dining experiences during the full day. I'd do something like a Grand Floridian Cafe brunch or Whispering Canyon lunch so that I could spend some time shopping and exploring another monorail resort while I was there, then have dinner at 'Ohana or Kona Cafe.

And as another poster mentioned, Trader Sam's would be a great place to get a drink sometime.

 

[maui22]

We would monorail hop for shopping. GF, CR, and Poly.

As far as the pool, you are going to want to avoid the main Poly pool and definitely the hot tub, which will have huge crowds. The quiet pool may be busy, but they have a nice covered area by the bar. We enjoy this area and talking with the bartenders during the day. If Murphy is still there, he made some tasty tropical drinks. There is also a female bartender we got to know in 2023, but I forget her name. She was very familiar with the cardinal (bird) who likes to be around the pool area.

The GCH (Poly main building) has a couple good locations for drinks. Trader Sam’s (which you are probably familiar with since the original is in CA). There is also Tambu Lounge on the second floor. It is very popular and busy. If you can, recommend getting a seat at the bar. For some reason, I can’t remember the 3 bartenders we have become familiar with (and who haven’t retired). Tambu Lounge is considered the dream job by most Disney bartenders. They were all offered positions at the new tower and turned it down. They also serve some appetizers from Ohana. We like their wings and also the Ohana noodles.

 

[Shellyred8]

We always enjoy the boat rides around the lake. I would do the boat loop to MK and then do the boat loop to CR, WL, FWC. As long as it's not raining, that is.