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

[DiznEeyore]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I really need to find out more about these pin codes. It really sounds like they're perfect opportunity for the more average of us to enjoy these more luxurious hotels.

At this point though, the split Poly/Pop trip sounds like a really smart idea and probably something to try in the future.

Thank you again.

Along with everything the others suggested, don't forget about sites like Travelocity. Last May we wanted to do a split stay between Beach Club and the Poly. We were able to get an awesome AP rate at the BC, but there was nothing available for the Poly.

I ended up checking Travelocity on a tip from someone on the Resorts Rate & Codes board, and got the equivalent of an AP discount on the Poly for our stay. I was a little nervous going that route, but it worked out perfectly!

 

[disneypolybride2008]

Does Poly always offer bounce backs? Does anyone know the dates that will be offered for 2009?

 

[team disney]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I really need to find out more about these pin codes. It really sounds like they're perfect opportunity for the more average of us to enjoy these more luxurious hotels.

At this point though, the split Poly/Pop trip sounds like a really smart idea and probably something to try in the future.

Thank you again.

Hey there! In case you haven't all ready. I suggest you order the free disney planning dvd. This will get you on the disney mailing list. Give them your home address and email address, as special pin codes can come to you once they have that info!

 

[jkstewart1800]

We are breaking the bank... we do it every few years or so... then live frugally until it is paid off.... ususally a few months to a year...


not the best plan I know... but hey.... it works for us!

 

[Aliceacc]

Probably asked and answered a number of times already...

There is no wi-fi in the Poly, right?? My husband is debating bringing the laptop.

Thanks as always!

 

[Brooke4]

Next Oct we are staying at the Poly for our 10 year anniversary. It will take over a year to pay this trip off. We plan to really cut back on unnecessary spending and I am also on the watch for a pin code...

 

[TheSilverTherapist]

Hey there! In case you haven't all ready. I suggest you order the free disney planning dvd. This will get you on the disney mailing list. Give them your home address and email address, as special pin codes can come to you once they have that info!

I didn't order a vacation planning DVD directly, but I did book directly through Disney Travel and got the DVD automatically. Will that still qualify me for a pin number?

 

[Aliceacc]

I didn't order a vacation planning DVD directly, but I did book directly through Disney Travel and got the DVD automatically. Will that still qualify me for a pin number?

Order it anyway; what do you have to lose?

 

[PNO4TE]

Probably asked and answered a number of times already...

There is no wi-fi in the Poly, right?? My husband is debating bringing the laptop.

Thanks as always!

no Wi-Fi... but they do have hi-speed internet access for a fee.

 

[PNO4TE]

I didn't order a vacation planning DVD directly, but I did book directly through Disney Travel and got the DVD automatically. Will that still qualify me for a pin number?

No one knows how Disney chooses who to send those pin codes to. Some people get many and some people get none. Some people think that by requesting a planning DVD you are upping your chance of getting one. Others insist they have never ordered that DVD and still got a pin code.

 

[Brooke4]

another thread recommended to register on disney.com, i did that this morning so we will see what happens...

 

[jkswimming]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aliceacc
We're arriving at the Poly on WEDNESDAY!!!!!

What will we love the most??

Quote: momsavealot So are WE!!!!!!!!!!!! If you see a family with four young kids and a husband who is 6'7 (TALLLLLL), that will be me! We plan to be at the pool every afternoon. Please say hi!!! I am so excited for some Tonga Toast![/I]

I can't wait!!!!!!!! Hope both your families have a fabulous time!

 

[BCV23]

In my experience, the concierges in Hawaii can't store medications that need refrigeration so I would just leave it with the outside desk CMs.

johnsonet, trust me, I know what you mean. This is a great thread with kind, friendly, helpful people. Must be that the spirit of 'Ohana is contagious...or maybe the Polynesian attracts that kind of people. Whatever it is, I love this thread. Thanks everyone.

jkswimming, to multiquote click on the quotation marks at the bottom right of each post you wish to quote. For the last one, just hit the usual quote button on the left.

 

[princessesrule4]

I have a question for Seaspray or anyone else that usually stays CL- I'm traveling with a friend that has medication that needs refrigeration. If our room isn't ready when we check in, is there a place that we can store her medication while we go to the parks? TIA

My cousins DD was on a med that needed refrigeration and the Concierge CM's took it for her and refrigerated it. I'm not sure exactly where they refrigerated it but it was no problem! Definitely ask the Concierge CM's - that is what they are there for!

 

[Briggidge2]

That Post-Poly-Blues are something else, aren't they? Out of all the Disney hotels I've stayed in, I felt like kicking and screaming when I had to leave the Poly. Can't wait to see those pictures!

All 5 of us were just down in the dumps all the way home, and then the next day! It was just so sad. LOL, I laugh about it now, but having to come back to the real world just bites sometimes.

We're arriving at the Poly on WEDNESDAY!!!!!

What will we love the most??

EVERYTHING! We loved absolutely everything! The family and I just walked around in awe at how beautiful it is! We also rented a pontoon boat from the marina for an hour. I mean, come on! We were riding around in the Seven Seas Lagoon! We took the boat from the Poly, past the Contemporary, to the Wilderness Lodge, circled back...almost got ran over by all the ferry boats, past the Grand Floridian and then back to the Poly. We didn't realize until the last night that we could see some of the fireworks from our bed! (we were in the Rarotonga building facing the quiet pool...third floor) The kids loved the volcano pool! The hubby and I loved the Lapu Lapu drink we got at the Tambu Lounge. I could go on and on! Have a great time and take lots of pictures! The time goes by so fast and you won't want to leave!!!

My wife and I are going to WDW in September and just to get the Disney fix until then we've already been speculating about future trips.

Going through all the Disney resorts we decided that Poly was at the top of our wishlist. Just for fun I looked at what it would cost to stay there and I was a little disheartened.

I absolutely would love to stay at Poly some day, but it just seems out of reach. I can't imagine everyone on this thread is super rich. How do you do it? What are your tips for staying at the deluxe resorts without breaking the bank?

We are far from rich. LOL! We stayed 3 nights at the Poly and 3 nights at another resort to make the trip last longer. We saved and saved and saved. That's all I can recommend. IMHO, all the money spent was worth it. The memories and the fact that you can say you did it just once...even if you never do it again, is something to me. (Although, i'm gonna make sure we're doing it again! HAHAHAHA!)

 

[Briggidge2]

I know I said I was going to upload pictures soon...well I lied. HAHA! I'm trying to upload all of them, but after uploading them, I realized that I took way too many pictures. So i'm trying to sort them all out. I'll post a quick synopsis though...

We stayed the first half of our trip at Shades of Green...cuz let's face it, one day at the Poly is three days at SOG! Although we LOVED it there, we found that our second home is now at the Poly. We checked out at SOG at 11 and drove across the street and to our suprise our room was already ready for us to move in to! That gave us the extra time to investigate and walk around. We did lunch at Capt. Cooks and then decided to take a small nap. (yeah right) We then decided to get into our swim gear...but got distracted and rented a pontoon boat first from the Marina. If you have never done so, I recommend doing so. Just to say that you drove around on a boat in the Seven Seas lagoon is too cool! We had some scary moments where the DH decided that he could beat the ferry(s) and we almost got caught in the middle of three. HAHA! But we got to go by the Contemporary, the Wilderness Lodge, and the Grand Floridian! It was too cool!

Afterwards, I had to pry my children away from the pool and grab some dinner and made the kids go to bed early so we could wake up early to eat at Ohana's for breakfast. Yeah, the kids didn't eat b/c of what all was going on, but it was awesome! We got sucked into buying the family picture. I'll post it when I break down and buy the photo cd.

The rest of the time we were there is a blur. It went by too fast. We sat on the beach one night and watched the electric boat parade and the fireworks from a hammock...drinking Lapu Lapus on the beach. (the hubby and I had our own hammocks and the kids were burying each other in the sand) Our last day we ate at the Kona Cafe and had a french press pot of Kona Coffee. One pot was NOT enough for both the hubby and I. We are both heavy coffee drinkers! I had already had some tonga toast from Capt. Cooks so the hubs got the big breakfast and I just got the ham and cheese omlette. My kids didn't want to eat all week b/c they were so excited about what was going on around them...but I tell you what, as soon as we stepped into our house the first thing out of all their mouths was "MOMMY WE'RE STARVING!" HAHA! Back to reality.

So all in all, it was an awesome trip! (aside from the DH spraining his ankle getting off a bus. He sucked it up and walked on a very swollen ankle!) We got roped into going to the DVC tour and are now considering buying into DVC. If any of you are DVC members, is it worth it? I would love to take a couple of days and stay at the Poly via Concierge! I want to go back so bad! I got the Post-Poly blues BAD!

 

[mmmears]

Thanks for posting your review! Sounds like you all had a great time at the Poly! Can't wait to see your photos, too!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Briggidge2,
Thank you for posting your trip report. I enjoyed reading it and it's great that you and your family had a wonderfull time.

 

[sandym718]

My wife and I are going to WDW in September and just to get the Disney fix until then we've already been speculating about future trips.

Going through all the Disney resorts we decided that Poly was at the top of our wishlist. Just for fun I looked at what it would cost to stay there and I was a little disheartened.

I absolutely would love to stay at Poly some day, but it just seems out of reach. I can't imagine everyone on this thread is super rich. How do you do it? What are your tips for staying at the deluxe resorts without breaking the bank?

LOL, definitely not super-rich here. We use our income tax refund to pay for the whole trip. Yes, I know that means we could be getting more in each paycheck and earning interest on it - but I could see it being spent, or some of it at least. This works for us!! But we can't do it every year, either.

And, generally, what allows us to do it in the first place, is living, while not really frugally, but I'd say very reasonably. DH and I built a house well below what we could afford years before having kids - knowing I would want to be at home at least part-time (I"m home full-time and now work from home part-time). I drive a leased vehicle, but DH drives a pick-up until it dies. We don't have fancy electronic gadgets at all - no game systems, I-pods, big screen or HD tvs, etc. I was actually so excited we just got a DVR - I called the cable company for a quote and it's costing me $1.50 more/month for digital AND the DVR over what I was paying. Think I can do that, LOL, I was so excited. My Internet is free thru work - before that I had dial-up. I do like to buy clothes for myself and the kids, but I shop the sales big-time. And I scrapbook, but I sell on eBay and use PayPal funds for that. Other than that, we don't spend on much - we eat out sometimes, but then usually find free or low-cost family activities. We don't do amusement parks here or other higher cost things very often. DH doesn't golf or do any other high-cost activities on a regular basis. He likes to fish and hunt, but doesn't spend much on either. Our house is the biggest "savings" -we have quite a low mortgage compared to most our age and that frees up a lot of $$. We like to vacation, so we be sure to have $$$ for that.

 

[team disney]

No one knows how Disney chooses who to send those pin codes to. Some people get many and some people get none. Some people think that by requesting a planning DVD you are upping your chance of getting one. Others insist they have never ordered that DVD and still got a pin code.

i think ordering the dvd is just away for Disney to track you. It puts you on their mailing list. To order it you fill out a short questionaire... they get some info on you and they Know how to target their mass mailings.

Can someone remid me how many days out before trip do you have to pay off your final balance? I think I better do mine tomorrow!