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

[Tonyspad]

I tried to reserve a room at the Poly in Hawaii during 4/18-4/23 and I can not believe that there are not any club level rooms availble during this time period. Does anyone have any idea what could be happening???

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I tried to reserve a room at the Poly in Hawaii during 4/18-4/23 and I can not believe that there are not any club level rooms availble during this time period. Does anyone have any idea what could be happening???

Are both the Garden Views and Lagoon Views sold out, or is one available and you want the other? I am not sure if that time is when spring break is happening or if anything else is going on, however since April is a long time from now I am sure if you keep checking a room there will become available.

 

[Tonyspad]

Both GVC and LVC are NA

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Well like I said before since April is a long time from now I am sure a room in either view will open up, so just got to keep trying.

 

[Disneynut4ever]

So if you have trouble with bugs -- don't forget the bug spray!!!!!!

Does the bug spray keep the lovebugs off of you also? We don't have lovebugs where I live so I don't know much about anything other than mosquitos.

 

[nancyjo1998]

You can Google "love bugs" for the specifics, but in a nutshell:
They are black bugs which do NOT bite. However, they spend a lot of time, um, "loving"...you will usually see 2 attached so it looks like they have 2 heads...and yes, they do fly, and have no problem "taking care of business" on humans.

Lovebug season tends to be May & September, with September being worse. They like light colored clothing. They will NOT harm you, but they tend to be "everywhere"....And they are nearly impossible to get off the front of your car/windshield.

They were super bad when we were there Sept. 06 and no, we couldn't go out on the balcony (at AKL) because when we opened the door, they'd get into our room. And quite honestly, all you could hear was "crunch, crunch" when stepping onto the balcony (the sound of stepping on them and squishing them...they were that bad). The good news is they don't last all month, and we noticed a big improvement during the 4 days we were there.

Are they bad enough to keep us from going that time of year again? Nope, the heat takes care of that for us. I knew what to expect with the lovebugs (used to live in FL as a kid - I remember they would stick to our tanning oil when we were at the beach, so we'd have them ALL over us, but they don't bite, honestly) so I warned my DD8 about them before we went. She didn't like them, but she didn't freak out like some other guests did, who didn't know what they were.

Here are a few photos I took...

Bus stop railing at Epcot:

DD8 "cutting up" the bugs with her fan. See the black splotches on the ground? Those are squished lovebugs (not from her fan, but just from being stepped on by guests).

So we plan on going september 19 - 27th. Do you think they will be really bad at this time?

 

[Shell54]

I'll be there SEPT21-27..hope the love bugs will be gooooooone.

Those photos are from Epcot and AKL? at least they don't bite, but still..ick.

I guess we'll have to buy bug spray in Fla. as we're flying..I don't think you can carry it on or pack if it's an aerosol?? I'm not sure.

Do they sell it anywhere at the Poly???

 

[OilyStars]

I love this thread! I've been reading it all afternoon.. thankfully my boss hasn't needed me for anything.

I do have a question though... We'll be going on our "Disneymoon" in Oct 2009 and will be staying at the Polynesian (SOOOOO EXCITED!); has anyone stayed here on their honeymoon and what kind of perks did you get? Room Upgrades??

 

[DiznEeyore]

Does the bug spray keep the lovebugs off of you also? We don't have lovebugs where I live so I don't know much about anything other than mosquitos.

That I'm not sure about ... haven't been during lovebug season in a while. Maybe someone else knows?

 

[spaceace510]

I guess we'll have to buy bug spray in Fla. as we're flying..I don't think you can carry it on or pack if it's an aerosol?? I'm not sure.

I'm pretty sure you can pack it without it being an issue... but you can always check the TSA website to be sure. I have in the past and it has never been removed so I guess it is ok...

 

[CDolacki2003]

My DH and I want to do the Animal Kingdom Safari that only people that are staying club level are allowed to book. Has anyone done this? I know its not the same one that the club level guests in Animal Kingdom lodge gets to do. We saw it on the travel channel and it looked great. I am just wondering what you all thought. I think I remember it costing 45 dollars or something there about.

 

[Rachel77]

We're officially booked!! Went to AAA today and booked:

6 nights (May 2-8, 2009) at the Polynesian, Gardenview. Requested First floor, Tokelau, east side.

Also, 2 adults, 2 children (5 and 6 at time of travel) - 7 day Park Hoppers with Water Park and More;; and Regular DDP

Put down my deposit. It's real now - we're going to Disney, and the Poly, again!! yippee!!! Myrtle Beach in 11 days, and I have our Disney trip to look forward to when we return!

We'll be at the Poly then too! I booked us yesterday for 6 nights (May 3-9, 2009) Gardenview. I called AAA and my agent said he didn't think the 2009 packages were out yet - I told him 'Nope, they're out - book us!' It's the first time at the Poly for us. LOL - I've never been so happy to part with that much money!

 

[BCV23]

We've been there during love bug season a few times. I don't remember them ever landing on us. They're not attracted to people....too busy trying to find each other.

It also seems to vary. You might run into tons of them in one place and not see any on the other side of the building or a different park.

 

[SeaSpray]

My DH and I want to do the Animal Kingdom Safari that only people that are staying club level are allowed to book. Has anyone done this? I know its not the same one that the club level guests in Animal Kingdom lodge gets to do. We saw it on the travel channel and it looked great. I am just wondering what you all thought. I think I remember it costing 45 dollars or something there about.

My DH, DAunt(mid 70's), and I did this tour a couple of months ago. It's called the Wildlife Discovery Excursion, and we really enjoyed it. It takes place along the same path that the Kilimanjaro Safari goes on, except that we kept stopping and pulling off the road while the guide spoke. They take you "back stage" to board a special van for this tour.

We got to ask any and all questions that we had (I noticed the "chainmail" that was wrapped around many of the trees and so I got to ask about it). The guide really provided a ton of info, and you had to wait for him to take a breath for a break in the conversation in order to ask a question. LOL I'm exaggerating a little, but he was very good, very informative, and he did stop once in a while to see if anyone had any questions. He seemed to really enjoy his work.

 

[SeaSpray]

I love this thread! I've been reading it all afternoon.. thankfully my boss hasn't needed me for anything.

I do have a question though... We'll be going on our "Disneymoon" in Oct 2009 and will be staying at the Polynesian (SOOOOO EXCITED!); has anyone stayed here on their honeymoon and what kind of perks did you get? Room Upgrades??

You'll have a great time!!! We weren't there on our honeymoon, but we've spent anniversaries there. We didn't get an upgrade because we were already booked in a lagoon concierge (club level) room on those trips, but we did get a personalized, autographed photo of Jasmine and Alladin, which was very nice! I have heard of other people being surprised with other things while celebrating a special occasion, but I'm of the school of thought where I don't depend on anyone else for special things or surprises, so I like to plan for them myself, but when/if something unexpected happens, that it's great! Oh yeah, almost forgot! Be sure to ask for Honeymoon pins when you arrive. If you look at this picture below, you can see my DH and I wearing Anniversary pins, but they also have Honeymoon pins. We got a lot of "Congratulations!" from the CMs on that trip, and also a surprise dessert from the Kona Cafe. Here's the pic:

 

[brunette8706]

I saw the beginning of the launch post with tons of great pictures of not only the Poly but of massive amounts of F O O D!! Well, how does one stay in shape while indulging on all these great tasting lunches, and dinners? Do they have a fitness center at the resort?
Thanks All!

Brunette

 

[brunette8706]

Hi All!

Looks like there is a fitness center here at this gorgeous resort.

If anyone knows the hours or has pictures it would be greatly appreciated. I can't wait to go!!!

Take care.
Brunette

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Hi All!

Looks like there is a fitness center here at this gorgeous resort.

If anyone knows the hours or has pictures it would be greatly appreciated. I can't wait to go!!!

Take care.
Brunette

There is no fittness center at the Polynesian, however you can use the one at the Grand Floridian for free because they share with guests staying at the Polynesian.

 

[brunette8706]

There is no fittness center at the Polynesian, however you can use the one at the Grand Floridian for free because they share with guests staying at the Polynesian.

Hi CR Resort Fan 4 Life!

I see that I misread the link. I just saw the bold letters Health Club and didn't read the whole caption. Thank you very much for pointing that out to me!

Have you stayed at the Polynesian before? I never stayed there but am looking forward to it.

take care.
brunette

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Hi CR Resort Fan 4 Life!

I see that I misread the link. I just saw the bold letters Health Club and didn't read the whole caption. Thank you very much for pointing that out to me!

Have you stayed at the Polynesian before? I never stayed there but am looking forward to it.

take care.
brunette

You're welcome and to answer your other question, my family and I stayed there last December. We also thought it was a great Resort.