Staying at Polynesian before trip...is this wise?

[hydster]

We booked our cruise and package through Dreams Unlimited and they are awesome to say the least (hats off to all of you on here for turning me to them to make reservations) and so with their package we could choose from the Polynesian or the Beach theme one (cant remember name) and I was told by my agent at DU to go with Poly if we want closer to the Magic Kingdom. Is this true? I have read where people have HATED the Poly....should I be concerned? What is there to do at the hotel? I have 3 kids who will be disappointed if the hotel stinks! Any and I mean ANY info or pics someone can give me would be much appreciated! Is the Poly on the monorail line to WDW so we wont have to walk a lot with a 3 yo??? HELP PLEASE!
Also we are thinking about staying a few days after the cruise and wondered where the best place is to stay near WDW...should we stay in the value resorts (since this trip is going to nearly bankrupt us...LOL JkK) or should we just find a hotel near the park and do it that way?
Any opinions or ideas would be most appreciated!
Thanks!
Heidi

 

[Disney-Junkie]

We just got back from staying at the Poly before our cruise and we loved it. Maybe the best resort we have stayed at.

The room we stayed at (1036-Tahiti) was awesome. Just a stones throw from a sandy beach and pretty close to the monorail and ferry to MK.

I have pics of the Poly on my Disney page at the bottom if you wanna look. I don't think you will be disappointed.

As far as staying a few days after the cruise I recommend the Holiday Inn Family Suites. It is great. Trains everywhere. My twins are 8 so they loved it. I don't know how old your kids are.

E-mail me if you have any questions. Good luck.

 

[1karen]

We stayed at the Poly the day before our cruise and three days after. Our kids loved it. We also stayed in Tahiti on the second floor. We had stayed 4 years previous in a different building (can't remember) it was nice but seemed far from the pool.

Our kids liked the surrey bike rides and the water parade. Take the boat over to Magic Kingdom from the dock, it's more fun than the monorail.

good luck!

 

[spotssister]

Location, location, location -- Poly's got the best!(?) On the monorail for easy trip to MK and Epcot and whatever else. You can walk to Grand Floridian and Transportation Center.

I've also stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. Great bus system takes you anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[*Tink*]

We stayed at the Poly. in December before our cruise, with 3dds. We were also in the Tahiti bldg., it was the best!!! Transportation everywhere is so close. The beach is beautiful, one of my dds even asked to leave MGM Studios so she could go play in the sand!! We wouldn't stay anywhere else.
(I was worried, I had heard of "smells" in some of the rooms, but we had no problems, and we were with a very large group)

Have a great trip!

 

[CamColt]

We love the Poly so much that we are spending 1 day before our cruise there. I dont think you will be disappointed. It so beautiful there.

To answer your questions, yes, the Poly is close to the MK and with the monorail being there, it is easy access. However, you will still be doing plenty of walking at the parks, and you have to take buses to MGM or Animal Kingdom. For pictures and info on what there is to do there, check out Tikimans site. www.tikiman2001.homestead.com . Its wonderful!

Best of luck, and be sure to let us know how you like it.

 

[aprilgail2]

I've stayed in the Poly numerous times, its the only Disney hotel that I truly LOVE!!! We have a great time when we are there and the cheaper priced hotels just don't cut it, the rooms are so small!!!

 

[candleonwater]

Disney-Junkie... what kind of camera do you use? Your pictures are great!

 

[Disney-Junkie]

I used a Kodak DC290 digital camera. For the underwater pics I used a Canon X-1 ELPH Sport APS.

Thanks for the complimnet. I appreciate it.

 

[erikthewise]

Name any hotel and there will be people who hate it. We stayed at the Polynesian last December before our cruise and had a great time. It's more of a resort than a hotel, if you know what I mean. The MK access (and view!) is very nice; getting to MK from a non-monorail resort or WL can be a pain. And as part of a fixed-price cruise package the Polynesian is a good value, as ordinarily it is more expensive than any but the Grand Floridean.

 

[mmouse37]

The Polynesian is an awesome hotel. I glad CamColt posted Tikiman's web address. He put together a great site with all info about the the Poly. I have stayed at the Poly about 12 times over the course of my visits to WDW. It my families favorite. The pool is awesome (just redone) the rooms are very spacious and the convenience and view to the MK are wonderful. Make sure you catch the water pagent parade on the lagoon every night around 9:00 pm. Watch from the beach....it is fantastic.

Check out the resorts board on this site for more info on Poly.

MJ

 

[howardk613]

We have gone to WDW often over the last 20 years (4-5 times per year) and have stayed at all the hotels on property from the Grand Floridian to the All Star and everything in between. Our favorite hotel is the Polynesian. The new pool is especially terrific
and the kids will love it. It is very convenient to the Magic Kingdom
by monorail or boat. You will LOVE this hotel.

 

[Tluvs2talk]

Camcolt,
Thanks for the link to the picture's. I hope to stay at the Polynesian soon.