The *NEW* Polynesian Resort FAQ thread - *2008*

[johnsonet]

Niue - Have any of you ever stayed in this longhouse?

Have not stayed in Niue but have stayed twice in Raratonga and they share/are connected by a deck on the second floor. AWESOME location - literally steps to GCH and therefore the monorail! Also steps out the other door to both pools Tiny little longhouse and I bet you will LOVE it!

I didn't know his name but I do know that listening to him sing 'Mele Kalikimaka' on Christmas Day was magical to me and my family.

OMG - total National Lampoon Christmas Vacation moment

I'm surprising DFi with a stay at the Poly for our honeymoon (he thinks we're staying at the WL!)
My questions is.....
Are the longhouse, Tahiti, Rapa Nui and Tokelau (the one side, anyway) as far as they look on the map?

Congratulations on your awesome honeymoon plans I have stayed in Tahiti with Garden View and it was AWESOME. Tahiti has its own private beach out front (not really private but hidden and unknown by most Poly guests!) The Polynesian has never felt spread out to me. The grounds are gorgeous and lush and any walking you do will be a pleasure I'll bet You can't go wrong with the Poly!!

 

[BCV23]

Have any of you ever stayed in this longhouse? It has some accessible rooms and my Travel Agent has just requested one for me. I took a look at the Polynesian map and Niue looks like it's in a great, central location. I don't remember reading any reviews about it!

I've never stayed in Niue either but agree it's a great location. In fact, when you first mentioned your problem I think I suggested it as it would make for a shorter walk to the GCH, parking lot, bus, etc..

I think not as many people post about it for two reasons....it is quite small. Only two floors and just no many rooms.

Plus as most longhouses became nonsmoking over the years, Niue remained smoking optional. Of course, that is no longer true.

 

[SeaSpray]

Have not stayed in Niue but have stayed twice in Raratonga and they share/are connected by a deck on the second floor. AWESOME location - literally steps to GCH and therefore the monorail! Also steps out the other door to both pools Tiny little longhouse and I bet you will LOVE it!

I've never stayed in Niue either but agree it's a great location. In fact, when you first mentioned your problem I think I suggested it as it would make for a shorter walk to the GCH, parking lot, bus, etc..

I think not as many people post about it for two reasons....it is quite small. Only two floors and just no many rooms.

Plus as most longhouses became nonsmoking over the years, Niue remained smoking optional. Of course, that is no longer true.

Thank you both.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

OMG - total National Lampoon Christmas Vacation moment

Would you believe that's why I have that movie on DVD? I love listening to that and I get that Clark W. Griswold look on my face when thinking of the Poly in December.

I've never stayed in Niue either but agree it's a great location. In fact, when you first mentioned your problem I think I suggested it as it would make for a shorter walk to the GCH, parking lot, bus, etc..

I meant to comment about this. While I didn't stay in Niue the Terror Squad and I did run through it when it was raining to get to our room in Samoa. It's a very small longhouse but it is obscenely close to the GCH (side entrance) the parking lot and the walkway that leads to the bus stop/taxi lines. Very convenient.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Yeah, Kaleo used to be the full-time entertainer at 'Ohana for a while, and he was featured on a clip for the Food Network at around that time. He filled in once last year, but he's typically out in the lounge (which works for me- a lot of the time I'm out there ).

Thanks for the link to the clip! My DD8 is a pro at the coconut races. And the guy with that record for eating shimp--my DN13 may have come close to that. He put away so much shrimp at 'Ohana I thought he was going to turn into one. His main comment about 'Ohana is, "Those shrimp were good!"

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

As if I wasn't excited beyond comprehension before, now Im even more excted LOL. I just called my TA and upgraded to a MK view from our garden view. Its a surprise for my husband We were looking at views and he was just in awe of the MK view. I told him we couldn't afford it but maybe we could do it next time. Little does he know that I have money stashed away Plus my rewards program cash outs. Yep, he is gonna love it! Now Im just hoping they get the special photopass photo shoot at the Poly before our trip.

 

[sillyguys]

I'm really enjoying this thread and thanks to all who have contributed. I just recently switched to the Poly from the GF for a short 4 night stay in June. I'm currently in a GV room but I'm thinking of upgrading to a MK view room as a surprise to DW (this trip is for our 10th anniversary so I guess I can splurge ). My question is what buildings have a MK view. I know that Tahiti does but I'm not sure what my other options would be. Also, do the buildings with the MK views all have balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floors? Finally, if anyone has any suggestions for a special anniversary treat that I could do for DW at the Poly I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

[huntconn]

Have any of you ever stayed in this longhouse? It has some accessible rooms and my Travel Agent has just requested one for me. I took a look at the Polynesian map and Niue looks like it's in a great, central location. I don't remember reading any reviews about it!

Well, if nothing else, if I do get to stay in that building, I'll come back and give my review not only on the longhouse itself, but also on the experience of staying in an accessible room there.

Funny story about Niue (well at least funny to our family!). Niue used to be the only building you could smoke in. We usually stay in the Hawaii building and would walk through Samoa and Niue in the mornings on our way to the GCH. The hallways would often reak of cigarette smoke in the mornings but would smell ok later in the day after the mousekeepers had done their magic. Because of the awful smell in the mornings we always called the building Pee-you-ee (as in P-U that stinks). Corny I know, but I thought I would share!

 

[CheshireCat3]

Hi! As you can tell from my number of postings, I'm relatively new at this forum! Anyhow, I'm staying at the Poly in May and I had heard a rumor that each of the rooms come with a computer now. Is this accurate? (I am trying to leave my laptop at home if I can.)

Thanks!

 

[DisneyDad in PA]

Party: DD8, DS10, DW40, Me39
Time frame: Check-in 8/17/07 -- Check-out 8/25/07
Room Type: Garden View
Special Request: To be in Samoa 1st or 3rd floor facing Volcano pool when I made reservation.
Package: MYW Plus dining, added discount code when it was released
Ratings (five diamonds):

Room: ♦♦♦♦♦
Restaurants: ♦♦♦1/2 (Captain Cooks and O’Hana’s)
Pool: ♦♦♦♦1/2
Transportation: ♦♦♦♦ (only 4 because bus service was a little lacking)
Value: ♦♦♦♦1/2

We arrived at the Poly via Magical Express after stopping at the Contemporary. Upon arrival we headed straight for the front desk to check-in at around 1:30pm. We waited around 5 minutes for the next CM to become available and then we started the check-in process. The CM was very pleasant and greeted us with an “Aloha”.

After completing the check-in we went straight to the room. It was Not a long walk from the GCH to Samoa building. The room had two queen beds and a couch which turned into a twin sized bed. The room was clean and not as dark as I had expected.

The bathroom had a separate area for the toilet and one sink. We had plenty of towels and soap. There was a refrigerator just as you enter the room enclosed in a cabinet. Man did that cabinet get warm everyday. I actually left it open to keep it vented while we were out of the room. It was big enough to hold everything we needed, leftovers and water bottles. I actually moved a shelf in order for us to be able to put a water bottle in standing upright.

Housekeeping did a good job during our stay. I left an envelope each day for a tip and we received plenty of refills on the soap and shampoo.

The location of Samoa building was the key for us. We came back almost every day for a midday break and being able to simply walk out the sliding glass door and straight into the pool was very nice. It was also convenient to be able to sit on the patio and sip margarita’s we got from the poolside bar after our return in the evenings. It was also very nice when we got back midday or in the evening to be able to walk a short distance to Captain Cooks to refill our soda mugs.

The pool was not that big but it didn’t seem to be too crowded for the kids. They actually made some friends while we were there and swam with them and played water games. While I did not try the slide it was reported to me by my slide experts, DS and DD, that it was a lot of fun.

Several of the evenings we watched the MK fireworks out by the pool and on a couple of occasions while swimming in the pool. The music from the show was played on speakers out by the beach.

On our resort day, DW rented a Searacer and took the kids out on the lake for rides. The first Searacer she rented was not that fast. She returned about 10 minutes after leaving and exchanged it for another and she switched kids. Then she took DS back out on the faster one later. She initially rented it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes they charged in 5 minute intervals. She returned finally after about 40 minutes but they only charged her for 30 minutes.

After that, DD got a couple of hair wraps put into her hair at the booth near the poolside bar and marina.

Captain Cooks was adequate for breakfast and lunches. We ate breakfast there a couple of mornings and the service was fast and the food was good. Lunches were good also. My only complaint about it was the layout was very confusing and when they were a little busy it made it very difficult to maneuver around. We didn’t have a problem finding a table but I could see where that may be an issue during busier times.

O’hana’s was okay. We did the Character breakfast one morning and we ate there for dinner one night. The food at either was nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was nice and the character interaction at breakfast was very nice. The dinner was actually not that impressive. The food was not what I had expected. It didn’t stand out and in most instances it was overcooked and dry.

We did not try Kona Café or room service this trip.

I did go to Samoa Snacks and buy some snacks a couple of days. There was an okay selection nothing that extensive. But they had chips, pretzels, candy, nuts, etc., the basic snack food selection. They also had a cooler where you could buy beer, wine, soda and milk.

Transportation at the resort was a big deciding factor in staying at the Poly. After our trip last September I realized that we would spend most of our time in MK and Epcot. We would spend a day and half in MGM and a half day or so in AK. With most of our time at MK or Epcot this resort made the most sense. We saved so much time with the monorail it was worth it.

When we went to MK we simply jumped on the monorail and never waited longer than 5 minutes. When we went to Epcot we walked over to the TTC and got the Epcot monorail from there. Now this was a longer walk since we were in Samoa Building but it was worth it. We waited at the TTC usually around 5 minutes for the next monorail.

The bus transportation was a bit different. We used busses to get to MGM, AK and Downtown Disney. We waited a minimum of 20 minutes for these to arrive and on a couple of occasions at least 30 minutes. We then had to stop at the Grand Floridian to pick up more guests and on a couple of occasions not everybody waiting at the Grand Floridian could get on because the bus was crowded. We also had stops at the Contemporary or Wilderness lodge on the return trips. We stayed at AKL last September and never had an issue with busses there.

When we went to HDDR and mini golf/Boardwalk we took a cab. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a cab if one wasn’t already there.

We utilized the Neverland Club one evening so DW and I could go out to eat and the kids really enjoyed it. DD made a craft and played games while DS played video games the whole evening. They were fed dinner and a snack during the evening.

Overall, the appearance and cleanliness of the resort was top notch. I never noticed anything out of sorts while we were there. On our resort day I walked around the resort and took pictures and really soaked in the Polynesian feel.

In closing, I would say that our stay at the Polynesian was very, very nice. We all enjoyed staying there and definitely plan to stay there again.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Hi! As you can tell from my number of postings, I'm relatively new at this forum! Anyhow, I'm staying at the Poly in May and I had heard a rumor that each of the rooms come with a computer now. Is this accurate? (I am trying to leave my laptop at home if I can.)

Thanks!

Aloha!

Unfortunately the rooms at the Poly don't come with computers in them (the Contemporary Resort has them) so you'd have to bring your laptop along. There is high-speed internet available for a fee.

Hope that helps!

 

[SeaSpray]

DisneyDad in PA: Thanks for the review, I'm going to add it to the Index on Post #1

huntconn: That is hysterical! I'll think of that when I see the Niue building next month!

sillyguys: Tahiti and Tuvalu (plus the concierge Hawaii building) all have Magic Kingdom views. I know that a few other buildings have a few rooms with MK views as well. I believe that Tahiti has balconies on the second and third floors since it's a "newer" building, but not sure about Tuvalu. I think that the second floor of Tuvalu doesn't have balconies.

 

[babydovesx2]

I have been second guessing spending so much money on our hotel vs saving and staying at a value resort or at SOG. But now I am more excited than ever. My boss just got back from a week long stay at ASMov. He said the room was very small and the beds were too small for him and his wife to sleep together. They each had to sleep with one of their kids instead. He said the buses were slow and packed. He had to wait over an hour one time to get a bus that was not full. I am so glad we decided splurge on our trip this year. The thought of hopping on the monorail to get to the park or back to the hotel sounds so nice. We will probably drive to DHS and AK because we have a AAA Diamond Pass and can park up close. Plus we will have our stroller with us and it will be easier to take in and out of the car vs the bus (decided to bring our own stroller after the prices went so high for the rentals).

I can't wait for the November calendar to come out next week so I can plan which days to go to which parks.

 

[Marc A.]

Two questions
1. Is there a wifi connection if you bring a labtop, since there are no pc's in the room.
2. Is there a problem if we arrive at the hotel late at night from our flight?
Thanks
So excited for our first Poly stay!!!

 

[BCV23]

Two questions
1. Is there a wifi connection if you bring a labtop, since there are no pc's in the room.
2. Is there a problem if we arrive at the hotel late at night from our flight?
Thanks
So excited for our first Poly stay!!!

1. No Wifi but there is HSIA for $9.98/24 hour period. There will be a cable in the closet for it.

2. No problem at all.

Have fun!

 

[Marc A.]

9.98 unlimited use for 1 day????

1. No Wifi but there is HSIA for $9.98. There will be a cable in the closet for it.

2. No problem at all.

Have fun!

 

[BCV23]

sillyguy, I think Aotearoa also has some MK view rooms. Tuvalu and Aotearoa have 3rd floor balconies but just sliding glass doors on the second. Tahiti has balconies on 2nd and 3rd floor rooms.

Tokelau has a few rooms that used to be classified lagoon view from what I've read. But I don't think those rooms would be called MK view as they are at 90 degree angles from the MK. Haven't really seen much mention of those rooms as lagoon view lately either. I wonder if they're back to being classified as gardenview?

 

[BCV23]

9.98 unlimited use for 1 day????

Duh, sorry I left that out. I'll correct it.

Yes, unlimited but per 24 hour period rather than by the day.

 

[Marc A.]

thank you BCV....where in IL?

 

[BCV23]

thank you BCV....where in IL?

Western burbs.