Mississippian
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2001
- Messages
- 765
Our family just returned from a four-night stay at DisneyWorld, and I thought I would share our experience at the Polynesian, as well as some other observations. We stayed from Nov. 24-28.
Much to our dismay, the parks were absolutely mobbed the four days prior to Thanksgiving. We arent early risers and didnt arrive at the park gate two hours prior to opening or whatever, and by the time we got in at 10:30 or so the place was swamped. I was under the mistaken impression that the crowds wouldnt be too bad until Wednesday or Thanksgiving Day, but we were mistaken. At any rate, the Polynesian was the brightest spot of our vacation.
The resort has been described so many times, but I will share our impressions. I had stayed once before, earlier this year with just my then-3 son. This was the first trip with the whole family.
I started out with reservations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, then switched to the Boardwalk Inn, and finally switched to the Polynesian just prior to our trip. I wanted the Poly all along, but had not been able to get the AP discount until just before our trip. In fact, we actually changed by cell phone after starting our 15-hour car journey.
We had a bit of forced luxury in that only lagoon view rooms were available. Normally I would not pay more than, say, 50 cents for a better view, but in this case the extra $200 turned out to be an almost good investment. I requested Tahiti because it was close to the TTC, although it really wasnt all that great to be near the TTC. We did take the express monorail and get off there, but we could of been just as happy in another building, although I would prefer a building south of the quiet pool or at least the Great Ceremonial House in the future.
We checked into our room about 1 p.m., and by luck it was ready. When I heard we would be on the ground floor I started to protest, but decided to take what was available. It turned out to be a great choice! While I would hate a ground-floor garden room, at Tahiti we were right on the beach. Since there was no path between our room and the beach, it really gave us a very private area in front of our room. Other buildings might not offer this direct beach access, but Tahiti did. In the future, I would definitely request a ground floor room if facing the lagoon.
Although I think the resort was nearly full, it seemed empty. Walking along the paths often left one feeling that the place was empty. I enjoyed this. The pool, on the other hand, was packed. Our children enjoyed the swimming more than anything else, even the rides.
The monorail service from the Poly was good. A word of warning. During busy times, dont use the TTC monorail, as you will have to wait. Instead, use the Poly entrance.
We also enjoyed the hokey water pageant, and also the fireworks from the beach. Our daughter was scared of the noise when we watched in the park, but enjoyed them from the beach.
I also rented a water mouse for a 30-minute ride, which was fun. This is one of the many things that one can do at the resort. Many people have said they just wanted to spend a day or two at the resort without going to the parks, and I must say there is plenty to do, and it would be a fun thing to do.
The main negative of the resort is the food. Kona Café is okay, but the menu is limited. I didnt like Ohana on my first try, and while I found the food a little less overdone on this trip, this is still a pretty sorry excuse for a restaurant. Many would argue that the Polynesian is the very best resort at WDW, and certainly its guests deserve better food service.
We also had a problem with bus transportation. While the monorail was great, we waited 45 minutes in vain for a bus to the Animal Kingdom. We finally ended up driving.
Bottom line is that we will return to the Poly as long as our children are fairly young, but as they get older we will probably look strongly at the Beach Club because of the pool.
Much to our dismay, the parks were absolutely mobbed the four days prior to Thanksgiving. We arent early risers and didnt arrive at the park gate two hours prior to opening or whatever, and by the time we got in at 10:30 or so the place was swamped. I was under the mistaken impression that the crowds wouldnt be too bad until Wednesday or Thanksgiving Day, but we were mistaken. At any rate, the Polynesian was the brightest spot of our vacation.
The resort has been described so many times, but I will share our impressions. I had stayed once before, earlier this year with just my then-3 son. This was the first trip with the whole family.
I started out with reservations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, then switched to the Boardwalk Inn, and finally switched to the Polynesian just prior to our trip. I wanted the Poly all along, but had not been able to get the AP discount until just before our trip. In fact, we actually changed by cell phone after starting our 15-hour car journey.
We had a bit of forced luxury in that only lagoon view rooms were available. Normally I would not pay more than, say, 50 cents for a better view, but in this case the extra $200 turned out to be an almost good investment. I requested Tahiti because it was close to the TTC, although it really wasnt all that great to be near the TTC. We did take the express monorail and get off there, but we could of been just as happy in another building, although I would prefer a building south of the quiet pool or at least the Great Ceremonial House in the future.
We checked into our room about 1 p.m., and by luck it was ready. When I heard we would be on the ground floor I started to protest, but decided to take what was available. It turned out to be a great choice! While I would hate a ground-floor garden room, at Tahiti we were right on the beach. Since there was no path between our room and the beach, it really gave us a very private area in front of our room. Other buildings might not offer this direct beach access, but Tahiti did. In the future, I would definitely request a ground floor room if facing the lagoon.
Although I think the resort was nearly full, it seemed empty. Walking along the paths often left one feeling that the place was empty. I enjoyed this. The pool, on the other hand, was packed. Our children enjoyed the swimming more than anything else, even the rides.
The monorail service from the Poly was good. A word of warning. During busy times, dont use the TTC monorail, as you will have to wait. Instead, use the Poly entrance.
We also enjoyed the hokey water pageant, and also the fireworks from the beach. Our daughter was scared of the noise when we watched in the park, but enjoyed them from the beach.
I also rented a water mouse for a 30-minute ride, which was fun. This is one of the many things that one can do at the resort. Many people have said they just wanted to spend a day or two at the resort without going to the parks, and I must say there is plenty to do, and it would be a fun thing to do.
The main negative of the resort is the food. Kona Café is okay, but the menu is limited. I didnt like Ohana on my first try, and while I found the food a little less overdone on this trip, this is still a pretty sorry excuse for a restaurant. Many would argue that the Polynesian is the very best resort at WDW, and certainly its guests deserve better food service.
We also had a problem with bus transportation. While the monorail was great, we waited 45 minutes in vain for a bus to the Animal Kingdom. We finally ended up driving.
Bottom line is that we will return to the Poly as long as our children are fairly young, but as they get older we will probably look strongly at the Beach Club because of the pool.
