Stroke of Genius or Just Plain Heat Stroke? August 2016 at the Poly!! Update 2/21 180 Days!

[ursalita]

What in the world was I thinking??

Hello! I'm Colleen and just booked another family trip to Disney. We also have my DH Jamie who enjoys Disney but is always surprised that I'm planning another trip so soon. Next is Aidan who will be 10 when we travel and finally is Sam, 7. Here is a photo of us on our last trip in April, 2015.



How did this trip come about? I'm so glad you asked. (Edited to add some pics and gifs to try to make this PTR less boring. I'm not sure that's possible.)

I was thinking about ideas for vacations for this coming year. I considered Washington, D.C. so I purchased a guide book and started researching a trip in April while the kids are on break and Spring is in full bloom.



Beautiful, isn't it? While it's something we will definitely do, I think Sam is still a little young. And I was completely overwhelmed by hotel, transportation, parking, etc. It wasn't long before I started thinking about Disney. What?!

I started with the April vacation idea and checked hotel prices. On one of the travel websites I found a reasonable price for a standard room at AKL. Because of its location it's never been a favorite of mine but the hotel is beautiful and I thought it would be a nice change. Then I started looking at flights. Yikes! So I proposed something to Jamie that I never thought we'd do: "Let's drive!"



I loved this show.

While it's always sounded like pure torture to me - it's 19 hours from home - we've driven 14 hours to Michigan and back to visit my BFF so I knew we could do it. I made the reservation.

But I just didn't feel great about it. AKL, while beautiful, is not my favorite. I love the restaurants but since AK is our least favorite park it was far from ideal. So I started thinking about different times of the year. Since the boys are older I really don't want to take them out of school so that eliminates most of the year. I remembered that late August is a value time at Disney. I went over to the August 2016 discount thread and heard about a great deal for Labor Day (late August - early Sept.) offered by a travel agency. Hmm.

I've never booked through a travel agent, I've always gone direct through Disney. But all of the comments were favorable so I requested a quote. An agent got back to me within hours and provided a quote for the Polynesian, a resort I never dreamed we'd be able to afford to stay at, for the same price as AKL. I've never wanted to visit Florida in August but this deal was too good to pass up.

On New Years Eve I booked the Polynesian Village Resort for August 15 - August 22!!



We have 6 day base tickets with bonus water park or Disney Quest admission. Southwest hasn't released their schedule for those dates but based on historical fares we shouldn't have any trouble getting cheap flights to Florida at that time of year. I'm thinking about applying for a Southwest credit card to get points for free flights. I have to research that further.

We're going to Disney in August. We might die.



But I'm super excited to be staying at the Poly and I'm looking forward to taking a different approach to this coming trip: mid-day breaks, pool time, and a relaxed approach to the parks.

Coming up: I make changes...



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[irene_dsc]

I'm first! I'm first!

But, August? That water park option sounds like a good idea for August...

I know almost nothing about Poly, so I guess I'll find out!

 

[ursalita]

I'm first! I'm first!

But, August? That water park option sounds like a good idea for August...

I know almost nothing about Poly, so I guess I'll find out!

Yay! First and only! Thanks for joining in, it's great to have you.

I 'm right there with you about August, never thought I'd willingly go to Florida in the summer. But I think we can do early morning and evenings at the parks and spend the afternoons at the hotel. We've been enough times that I think we've seen most everything and can now pick and choose what's really important to us.

I don't know much about it either so I'm learning right along with you. I just know what I've seen when we ate at restaurants there or drove through on the ME on our way to WL. I like the idea that they have boat and monorail transportation. I've never thought the room prices would be in our price range so I'm thrilled!

 

[Disneylover99]

Hi Colleen

We go to Disney every August and love it!!!!! We've also booked a magical deal at the Poly next August. We're super excited cause we've never stayed there before either.

 

[ursalita]

I'm making changes already??

It wouldn't be a trip to Disney if I wasn't making constant changes to my plan.

Today I renewed my touringplans subscription and checked out the historical crowds for August. I knew that the summer crowds dropped off at the end of August but it seems like the real drop is the last week of August, not mid-way through. Our dates of 8/15-8/22 were still pretty busy.

I decided I needed to change our dates. Unfortunately I won't know next school year's calendar for months so I can only guess. RI public schools usually start in September after Labor Day but a couple years ago we started in late August. My guess is that the earliest they will start school is Monday, August 29th. That day will probably be just for teachers and the students will likely begin on the 30th. Or they could delay until after Labor Day.

Playing it safe, we thought the latest we could squeeze in a week at Disney would be Friday, August 19th - Friday, August 26th. This would give us at least a long weekend to get back into the swing of things before schools starts. I contacted my agent and she said it would be no problem to switch the dates as long as there were rooms available and the rates wouldn't change. We're now confirmed for August 19 - August 26.

I also asked the agent about room requests. From what I've heard only the 3rd floor rooms have balconies. Please chime in if I'm wrong. I really don't like first floor hotel rooms (this might be a horror movie thing) so my preference would be 3rd floor.

,

I don't have a very strong preference for room location, we don't mind walking to transportation or the lobby. But our proximity to the quiet pool at the YC last trip was great for the boys. One of my favorite memories of that trip was sitting on the balcony of our room listening to the boys talk about their day down at the pool.

So I don't think it will hurt to request a room near the pool in Samoa, Niue or Rarotonga. I ran those thoughts by our agent leaving it up to her since she has experience and she requested the following: 3rd floor, Samoa, close to pool. She said, "I think being clear that you want to be close to the pool is the best way to go. Samoa is the closest building to the pool so I think between that request and the close to pool note they will know what you are hoping for. Disney will not guarantee the requests but they always do their best."

I'm really happy we went through an agent this trip. I used to book through Disney with the hopes that it would be the best way to get perks like PINs and Bounce Backs but we've never been lucky enough. I love having someone who has experience to help me with stuff like room requests.





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[ursalita]

Hi Colleen

We go to Disney every August and love it!!!!! We've also booked a magical deal at the Poly next August. We're super excited cause we've never stayed there before either.

Thanks for stopping by!!

I am so happy to hear that you love Disney in August. And you're also visiting the Poly on the same deal. Exciting!

I would love to hear any advice you'd be willing to share about Disney in August.

 

[pkondz]

Hello! I'm Colleen

Hi Colleen!

While it's always sounded like pure torture to me - it's 19 hours from home

That's it? Nice! I'd be there all the time.

An agent got back to me within hours and provided a quote for the Polynesian, a resort I never dreamed we'd be able to afford to stay at, for the same price as AKL. I've never wanted to visit Florida in August but this deal was too good to pass up.

Score!!

On New Years Eve I booked the Polynesian Village Resort for August 15 - August 22!!

Yay!

We're going to Disney in August. We might die.

I'm sure it's not that hot...

I'm making changes already??

Well that escalated quickly.

We're now confirmed for August 19 - August 26.

Yay... again!

I really don't like first floor hotel rooms (this might be a horror movie thing)

Well, I guess that's as good a reason as any!

 

[Disneylover99]

The good news about August is that you don't have to pack a sweater, pants, or anything long sleeved. No need to second guess your clothing options. Plus you'll be at the Poly. It's supposed to feel downright tropical!

 

[cinderkelly]

Checking in! I'm so excited you've started your PTR! I'm also excited we both get to stay at the Poly this year!! I'm really hoping I can find some kind of discount for our dates, right now we have our reservation at rack rate I'll keep searching..
I like your plan of parks in the morning and evening and rest time in the afternoon, it will be so nice to be a boat or monorail ride away!!

 

[irene_dsc]

The date change makes sense. We usually start school about the 22nd of August. Tho I think going straight from WDW to the first day of school would be harsh. Granted, my daughter had only one day after getting back from Boston before school started and she survived, but it was definitely a change!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hi Colleen! Joining in as well! Soo excited you're staying at the Poly too! We stayed there in 2014, over labor day weekend. My friend was there the week before too and she said crowds were pretty light as well. We barely had any crowds, it was wonderful. But yes, it was hot as hell, sometimes unbearable, but we tried to stay in air conditioning as much as possible. But we learned to live with it for the week and we had a great time. Just an FYI, we had a first floor room, and we did not mind at all. We stayed in Rarotonga and it was super convenient to the main lobby, and the monorail. It was a short walk to the TTC too. Can't wait to read more about your plans!

 

[Elevationist]

On New Years Eve I booked the Polynesian Village Resort for August 15 - August 22!!

Woooohoooo! Congratulations!!!

It wouldn't be a trip to Disney if I wasn't making constant changes to my plan.

Girl, you got that right.

I love having someone who has experience to help me with stuff like room requests.

As a travel agent myself, I'm feeling the TA love. Be sure to tell your friends!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

HERE I AM!!!!! ONWARD!!!!!!

 

[kastoney]

Hi Colleen, I'm here!!!!

Can't believe all the changes you've had already. As you know we had the magical deal last year and it truly is amazing. We've even stuck with using them since the first time we did, as I like the idea that someone can make a little money off of what I'd just be doing myself anyway.

For the rooms, you are correct, just the 3rd floors have balconies. We requested only a balcony for our trip and we lucked out and got a 3rd floor Samoa room at the end overlooking the pool, so we even had a small glimpse of the fireworks. It was great.

We're thinking we may do a late August trip too, but won't decide until later this year. Would be cool if we actually overlapped though ; )

And if you ever do decide to take that trip to DC, just let me know. I'm a life long Washingtonian and know this place like the back of my hand.

 

[ursalita]

That's it? Nice! I'd be there all the time.

Really? 19 hours is an easy drive for you??!

I'm sure it's not that hot...

Well you would know, right?

The good news about August is that you don't have to pack a sweater, pants, or anything long sleeved. No need to second guess your clothing options. Plus you'll be at the Poly. It's supposed to feel downright tropical!

That's very true. I guess the Poly is the perfect place to be in August!

Checking in! I'm so excited you've started your PTR! I'm also excited we both get to stay at the Poly this year!! I'm really hoping I can find some kind of discount for our dates, right now we have our reservation at rack rate I'll keep searching..
I like your plan of parks in the morning and evening and rest time in the afternoon, it will be so nice to be a boat or monorail ride away!!

I'm sure you'll get some discounts when it gets closer. Aren't you going when they often offer free dining? I'm really looking forward to experiencing Disney this way, in a much more relaxed manner.

The date change makes sense. We usually start school about the 22nd of August. Tho I think going straight from WDW to the first day of school would be harsh. Granted, my daughter had only one day after getting back from Boston before school started and she survived, but it was definitely a change!

I doubt we will start school in August. There was only one year of the last 5 that they started in August. Worst case we'll still have 3 days to get them ready to start school. But more likely we'll have a week to prepare.

Hi Colleen! Joining in as well! Soo excited you're staying at the Poly too! We stayed there in 2014, over labor day weekend. My friend was there the week before too and she said crowds were pretty light as well. We barely had any crowds, it was wonderful. But yes, it was hot as hell, sometimes unbearable, but we tried to stay in air conditioning as much as possible. But we learned to live with it for the week and we had a great time. Just an FYI, we had a first floor room, and we did not mind at all. We stayed in Rarotonga and it was super convenient to the main lobby, and the monorail. It was a short walk to the TTC too. Can't wait to read more about your plans!

Thank you for joining!! I'm glad to hear that the crowds weren't bad that time of year. I plan to put a lot of effort into planning for the heat. We will definitely take a lot of breaks in the A/C! I like the idea of a first floor room. I think it would be great to step out onto the patio and grounds of the hotel. I think horror movies have made me wary of first floor hotel rooms. Looking at the map of the resort, it seems like all the buildings are pretty convenient to pools and transportation. it has a really nice layout, it seems.

Woooohoooo! Congratulations!!!

Thanks! We're so excited.

As a travel agent myself, I'm feeling the TA love. Be sure to tell your friends!

I definitely will.

HERE I AM!!!!! ONWARD!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

As you know we had the magical deal last year and it truly is amazing. We've even stuck with using them since the first time we did, as I like the idea that someone can make a little money off of what I'd just be doing myself anyway.

That's another great reason I hadn't considered. I think I'll use an agent from now on.

For the rooms, you are correct, just the 3rd floors have balconies. We requested only a balcony for our trip and we lucked out and got a 3rd floor Samoa room at the end overlooking the pool, so we even had a small glimpse of the fireworks. It was great.

Yay! Sounds perfect. Did you find it loud with the proximity to the pool?

We're thinking we may do a late August trip too, but won't decide until later this year. Would be cool if we actually overlapped though ; )

That would be fun!

And if you ever do decide to take that trip to DC, just let me know. I'm a life long Washingtonian and know this place like the back of my hand.

We will definitely visit D.C. I know the boys will enjoy the museums and other sights. I just think Sam needs a couple more years before he's ready. I would love to pick your brain when we go, thanks for the offer.

 

[pkondz]

Really? 19 hours is an easy drive for you??!

This is what I used to do back in the day when Ruby and I lived up North in a small town.
My shift was from 8am - 4pm. I would then go home, make dinner, eat dinner and pack. If I was really lucky, I'd even get in an hour nap, but not usually. Back at work for my Midnight to 8am shift. Drive home, grab the bags throw them in the car, pack up the wife and dog and drive 12 straight hours to Winnipeg. We'd stay at my folks' house (they had a guest room) and after visiting for a bit... then I'd get to bed.
Total time awake (unless I got that hour) was about 40 hours.
Drive back was easier. We'd leave around 5am or so. But I slept beforehand.
We did that about once every 6 weeks or so.

So... 19 hours? With Disney at the end of the trip?
Piece of cake.

 

[kastoney]

Yay! Sounds perfect. Did you find it loud with the proximity to the pool?

I'm not gonna sugar coat it, the pool was loud. During the day it wasn't too bad, but it stayed loud until 11 or so each night. The sliding door shields some of the noise, but you could still hear it. That said I tend to have trouble sleeping without silence and I was so tired from all day in the parks it ended up not bothering me too much

 

[ursalita]

We're Pinching Pennies!

When I came up with the idea for this trip so soon after the last one Jamie told me that I had to save the money. So no dipping into the vacation account for this one, I have to come up with the money myself. So basically I have 7 months to come up with the funds. I love a challenge so I'm excited to see how much we can save.

1. I GOT A JOB!! I took a training course this fall to become a teacher's assistant. After the holidays I submitted my application to the school department in our city. This of course ensures that I will have the same calendar and snow days that my kids have. I got the last of the paperwork submitted on Friday and tonight they called me with an offer. I start tomorrow morning!

One of the things I had to do was go to our Attorney General's office for fingerprints for a National background check. I get called into this room and this huge guy has to fingerprint me. So he takes my fingers and presses them against this glass reader. I guess I don't have very good fingerprints because he was smashing my fingers against the glass and the computer wasn't accepting the images. He rubbed them on a moisture pad and then smashed them some more and it still wouldn't take. Finally he had to put it through manually after three tries.

This made me think about Disney and how last trip probably 50% of the time I entered the park my fingerprint didn't scan correctly so I had to go through and additional security check. I don't know if there's anything I could do differently. The guy seemed to have better luck fingerprinting my left hand than my right. I will definitely put some thought into which finger I use when I first enter the park to increase my chances of not having a problem during subsequent entries.

2. I took a look at the household budget and I identified some things we can probably live without. Goodbye wine!

3. Since we won't have a dining plan I'm looking into ways to save money on food this trip. I still want to do some signature restaurants but I think we can probably save in other ways.

4. I think our flights will be relatively cheap but I'm going to look into how to save on the cost of the flights including opening up a Southwest credit card. With their incentive offer I'll probably earn enough points to pay for two tickets. I just have to weigh the risk of opening up yet another credit card. The card I use now has pretty good rewards.

5. I was thinking about purchasing Disney GCs at a discount to use on our trip but I'm not sure how well I can do with that.

Those are some of the ideas I have for saving money on this trip. It's not critical but I do enjoy the challenge of saving money and what better motivation than Disney? I'd love to hear any ideas for saving money at Disney.

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[pkondz]

1. I GOT A JOB!! I took a training course this fall to become a teacher's assistant. After the holidays I submitted my application to the school department in our city. This of course ensures that I will have the same calendar and snow days that my kids have. I got the last of the paperwork submitted on Friday and tonight they called me with an offer. I start tomorrow morning!

Hey!! Congratulations on the new job!

I guess I don't have very good fingerprints because he was smashing my fingers against the glass and the computer wasn't accepting the images. He rubbed them on a moisture pad and then smashed them some more and it still wouldn't take. Finally he had to put it through manually after three tries.

That just means you've obviously been meant for a life of crime.

This made me think about Disney and how last trip probably 50% of the time I entered the park my fingerprint didn't scan correctly so I had to go through and additional security check.

Ugh. That's a pain. "Yay! We're first at the tapstile! Boo! We'll be last in the park because my finger won't scan."

2. I took a look at the household budget and I identified some things we can probably live without. Goodbye wine!

No! Not the wine!!!

I'd love to hear any ideas for saving money at Disney.

Bag lunches instead of buying.
Perk your own coffee instead of Starbucks.
Stick to the shopping list.

All I got off the top of my head.

 

[irene_dsc]

Congrats on the new job!

As for pinching pennies at WDW, food is probably the biggest variable, besides adding extras. One thing I did a couple times was ordering a kids meal when I wasn't really very hungry. Of course, we also left the World for a lot of meals since we were off-site, and that saved us a ton of money. But somehow it seems weird to stay at the Poly and then pinch pennies on meals?

And of course, there's the whole DDP or not debate...

ETA:
Oh, wait. You said no DDP. Silly me.

But, anyhow, I guess if I felt we were going to have to scrimp too much on meals in order to stay at the Poly, I'd consider switching resorts and spending the savings on food, if that became the case.