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

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I just made my ressie for the Poly! I'm so excited! Our first trip ever was this past May; we wanted to "test the waters" and see how we'd like the World before going all out. We are hooked! I was debating on whether to stay at CR or the Poly (we knew we wanted a deluxe on the monorail), and the Poly just won out. Much of the decision was thanks to this thread.

It's too bad we have over 15 months to wait. It's going to go by sooo slowly ...

Congragulations and have a great time staying there.

 

[Picabo]

Blondinkaya- I just noticed you will be there a week before me- good luck with the countdown. I am so obsessing already and look how far we got to go. My hubby thinks I am stark raven mad.

I'm right there with you two! I'm going early Dec 09 also! The wait seems like it is FOR-EVVVVER!

OK question for you Poly fans...this is non-Poly related but I've come to trust your opinions! Marrakesh or Biergarten? Both or neither?

THANKS!

 

[shyjade]

Lee, I did listen to the podcast and I was shocked at Pete's review of Kona. I think it is one of the first times I have heard a bad review of Kona. It is one of our favorites. We also liked O'Hana but only have done it for dinner. Captain Cook's is not the best quick service on property but not bad. You could always take the monorail to GF or CR and do the character breakfast there. I'm not sure how you came up with a cheaper price at GF I am pretty sure it is the most expensive resort on property. I think rooms run about $35-$50 more per night than The Poly. I don't think I would change resorts based on the review of the food on the podcast. Remember he did say he loved everything else about The Poly.

We actually had a bad meal at Kona last year (first time dining there). My MEDIUM RARE prime rib came out so well done that I could hardly cut it. Now that's not even close to MR prime rib. I did let the server know and he offered to have it remade, but I was dining alone with my 9 year old and by the time he came to check on our food, she was nearly done eating. And we had waited so long for our food, I just wanted out of there. I did get our dessert "to go" to take back to the room at the Poly (and I told the server this). I can't remember what the name of it was, but I ordered some chocolate lava thing that was supposed to be warm and have a liquidy center of chocolate. I got back to our room (in Fiji, with no stops inbetween) and sat down on the bed to eat the dessert. It was COLD and HARD...they never attempted to even warm it. It was absolutely disgusting so I tossed it out. Very disappointing for our "arrival night dinner".

My sister and her family LOVED Kona when they went earlier this year and said it was their favorite place during there trip (they ate there several times). I SO want to like Kona, it's the only thing I didn't care for at the Poly. So I've made ressies again for our upcoming trip and I want to try the prime again (heard it's wonderful)....I just hope it's done right next time.

 

[Me&3]

Lee, I did listen to the podcast and I was shocked at Pete's review of Kona. I think it is one of the first times I have heard a bad review of Kona. It is one of our favorites. We also liked O'Hana but only have done it for dinner. Captain Cook's is not the best quick service on property but not bad. You could always take the monorail to GF or CR and do the character breakfast there. I'm not sure how you came up with a cheaper price at GF I am pretty sure it is the most expensive resort on property. I think rooms run about $35-$50 more per night than The Poly. I don't think I would change resorts based on the review of the food on the podcast. Remember he did say he loved everything else about The Poly.

I just got back on Saturday and before we left we had breakfast at O'Hana's the dinner is the way to go there in my opinion. When your kids ask why the eggs taste funny and you have to say thats the fake taste its a little sad and they hord the Mickey waffles you have to almost beg for them. Dinner is better. Kona is great for all meals when we left O'Hana's we saw people eating breakfast at Kona cafe it looked 100 times better. They probably have real eggs .

 

[Me&3]

I'm right there with you two! I'm going early Dec 09 also! The wait seems like it is FOR-EVVVVER!

OK question for you Poly fans...this is non-Poly related but I've come to trust your opinions! Marrakesh or Biergarten? Both or neither?

THANKS!

Both

 

[Me&3]

Welcome back! Were you at the Polynesian all 15 days?? Hope you will post more details and/or pics


I think we've gotten them each time. It's festive. I love seeing older couples who've just checked in with their leis on I can see how people look forward to the ritual of it and might be a little disappointed if they are not "lei'd" on arrival If you are not given your necklace of flowers then definitely just ask



I hope your trip is magical. You have a great attitude re. the price. We were lagoon view club level a couple of weeks ago and I swear it was worth every penny! The Polynesian is a WONDERFUL place to stay while at Disney. Maybe we'll see you there next August

Hi we stayed at Shades of Green. But we went to Poly everyday. We love Poly

 

[lzj21428]

Could someone tell me what toiletries (sp) are supplied in the rooms? Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste? I would love not to have to bring all those bottles of stuff with me. Are there blow dryers? It's been three yrs since we've been and I just don't remember.

 

[Me&3]

Could someone tell me what toiletries (sp) are supplied in the rooms? Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste? I would love not to have to bring all those bottles of stuff with me. Are there blow dryers? It's been three yrs since we've been and I just don't remember.

Shampoo.Conditioner,Shower gel and Lotion hope this helps

 

[shyjade]

Could someone tell me what toiletries (sp) are supplied in the rooms? Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste? I would love not to have to bring all those bottles of stuff with me. Are there blow dryers? It's been three yrs since we've been and I just don't remember.

Yes, there are hair dryers. And if I remember correctly, they are full-sized, not the smaller travel dryers some hotels carry.

 

[Me&3]

Yes, there are hair dryers. And if I remember correctly, they are full-sized, not the smaller travel dryers some hotels carry.

Your right they are the full size and not attached to the wall

 

[lzj21428]

Thank you all so much for the info. I think the only thing I'll need to bring is the toothpaste. That will save bunches of room in the suitcase and I'll have more room for souvies!!!

 

[shinnl]

I just got back on Saturday and before we left we had breakfast at O'Hana's the dinner is the way to go there in my opinion. When your kids ask why the eggs taste funny and you have to say thats the fake taste its a little sad and they hord the Mickey waffles you have to almost beg for them. Dinner is better. Kona is great for all meals when we left O'Hana's we saw people eating breakfast at Kona cafe it looked 100 times better. They probably have real eggs .

Thanks for the replies guys.

I double-checked the Disney site again and found my mistake. I was comparing the Poly with tickets to the GF without. The little window that says "View Alternative Offer" is a little confusing since you are not always comparing apples to apples.

I discussed with my wife and we decided to stick with the Poly. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Me&3]

Thank you all so much for the info. I think the only thing I'll need to bring is the toothpaste. That will save bunches of room in the suitcase and I'll have more room for souvies!!!

Don't forget the toothbrush too Have a great time

 

[Disneynut4ever]

We arrived on Sunday at 9:45 a.m. and the hotel is beautiful. I did not expect our room to be ready, but it was . . . . . . . . . in the Hawaii building!!! Yes, we got a free upgrade to conceirge level. We have the best view of the castle and can walk right out on to the beach. I was so excited and my husband had no clue what that meant. Just wanted to do a quick post. Will hopefully have more time tomorrow.

What level did you reserve before you received the actual upgrade?

 

[SeaSpray]

OK question for you Poly fans...this is non-Poly related but I've come to trust your opinions! Marrakesh or Biergarten? Both or neither?

THANKS!

I like both restaurants and have dined at both, several times. My first choice would be Marakkesh, but I'd never turn down Biergarten. I have pictures from our meals at both restaurants, on my web site. The most recent is from a few months ago, and we dined at Marakkesh on that trip. Here's a link: http://www.brownfamilyvacations.com/html/May08Restaurants.htm

If you click on the link below in my signature and then click on the Disney World Vacations link, then find the restaurants links, you'll be able to see a TON more pictures



Just to keep this on topic about the Polynesian: I want to say that the Kona Cafe is our ALL TIME FAVORITE, ALL AROUND FAVORITE Disney World Restaurant!! I have a TON of pictures from all 3 meals there (lots of breakfasts, a couple of lunchs {the lettuce wraps are out of this world!!}, and many dinners). Check out my site, and the link above, to see my Kona Cafe pictures.

 

[goopysolelady]

What kind of tv's are in the lounge? We want to watch Monday Night Football while we are there!!

 

[butiflfeet]

SeaSpray, I love your family website! That's a great idea to share your trips with extended family.

All the info on this thread is great! I've learned so much about the Poly for our 5th anniversary vacation.

DH and I are going on our first Disney World vacation for 6 days to celebrate and it kind of serves as our 2nd chance at a honeymoon. We were pretty young when we got married (I was 21 and he was 23) so with the foresight of wanting to purchase a house and having just finished college we decided to do a lower-budget honeymoon in Chicago which is a nice 4-5 hour drive from where we live (depending on which of us does the actual driving). It was fantastic but we've been dreaming of Disney ever since!

Needless to say, we're going all out for this trip to Disney World seeing as it's been 5 years and we're still married (and we do have our house, however small it may be)!

I have a couple questions and I think this board is the best place for them (because you all are so knowledgeable) but I'm not sure so forgive me if I'm wrong!

First, does anyone know what kind of food is offered for room service? Is it pretty much what you can get at Kona Cafe? DH and I are using the DDxDP and were thinking of a breakfast in bed to kind of take us back to our (much lower budget) honeymoon in Chicago. And just cuz it's fun to eat in your bed and NOT have to be the one to clean up!

Second, are in-room massages available at the Poly? I know about the GF spa and we may go there too. Anyone have any experience from the GF spa? Good/bad/skip it all together?

Thanks so much for your help! We may see a few of you there soon!

 

[seashellmom]

What level did you reserve before you received the actual upgrade?

We only reserved plain Garden View-not club level-so you can see why I was so excited and still thrilled about our good luck.

 

[seashellmom]

We had dinner at Ohana tonight and all I can say is that is alot alot food!!! It all came kind of fast and was a little overwhelming at first. Our favorite thing was the dumplings with the peanut sauce. We asked for a second bowl. My favorite meat was the shrimp and I simply loved the bread pudding. My girls did not eat a lot, my youngest enjoyed the noodles and they both loved the ice cream at the end. Overall I thought it was a good fun meal.

We ate breakfast at Ohanas on Sunday and we really enjoyed it. I love Lilo & Stitch, so that was part of it. I thought all of the food was good, esp. the bread, sausage, juice and the potatoes. Again, it was alot of food.

I would do breakfast again for sure and dinner probably if we had people in our group that had not been before.

Another glorious day from the Poly!!!

 

[SeaSpray]

What kind of tv's are in the lounge? We want to watch Monday Night Football while we are there!!

Here's a picture of the TV in the concierge/club level lounge:

It's not huge by any means. You might almost be better off watching it on the flat panel in your own room, since they look to be around the same size.

SeaSpray, I love your family website! That's a great idea to share your trips with extended family.

All the info on this thread is great! I've learned so much about the Poly for our 5th anniversary vacation.

DH and I are going on our first Disney World vacation for 6 days to celebrate and it kind of serves as our 2nd chance at a honeymoon. We were pretty young when we got married (I was 21 and he was 23) so with the foresight of wanting to purchase a house and having just finished college we decided to do a lower-budget honeymoon in Chicago which is a nice 4-5 hour drive from where we live (depending on which of us does the actual driving). It was fantastic but we've been dreaming of Disney ever since!

Needless to say, we're going all out for this trip to Disney World seeing as it's been 5 years and we're still married (and we do have our house, however small it may be)!

I have a couple questions and I think this board is the best place for them (because you all are so knowledgeable) but I'm not sure so forgive me if I'm wrong!

First, does anyone know what kind of food is offered for room service? Is it pretty much what you can get at Kona Cafe? DH and I are using the DDxDP and were thinking of a breakfast in bed to kind of take us back to our (much lower budget) honeymoon in Chicago. And just cuz it's fun to eat in your bed and NOT have to be the one to clean up!

Second, are in-room massages available at the Poly? I know about the GF spa and we may go there too. Anyone have any experience from the GF spa? Good/bad/skip it all together?

Thanks so much for your help! We may see a few of you there soon!

Thanks, I'm glad you like my web site

I have the room service menu right here in front of me. Here's a quick run-down of what they offer for breakfast:

Tonga Toast
Our famous banana-stuffed french toast rolled in cinnamon sugar, served with strawberry compote and your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage $13.99

Blueberry pancakes
Three pancakes with your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage $13.99

Steak and Eggs
A grilled 5oz New York strip steak with two eggs served with potatoes and biscuit. $14.99

"Da 'Kine" Omelet
Three-egg omelet filled with your choice of mushrooms, onions, ham, cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese, served with potatoes and biscuit $14.99

Aloha Eggs
Two eggs served with potatoes and biscuit with your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage $11.99

Continental Breakfast
A basket of Breakfast pastries, juice, and choice of coffee or tea $11.99

Fruit Plate
Fresh seasonal fruit served in a fresh pineapple with banana-nut bread $10.99

CEREALS
Assorted Kellogg's cereals with milk - Choose from Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, or Corn Flakes $3.99
(add bananas, strawberries, or blueberries $1.59 each)