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

[dvc4life]

I have been reading all the posts on this thread and am so excited about this resort that I do have a question. How soon do you need to book a room at the Poly for your stay? I have always wanted to stay here, since our honeymoon in 1990 when it was booked up and we stayed at the Contemporary instead, and we are going to be going on the DVC member cruise next September and thought that a couple days after the cruise would be fun. So I was just wondering how soon do you have to book to be sure you get in. Thanks.

 

[NMW]

On our first trip, we used the laundry service at the CR for 3 or 4 clothing items to get us thru the trip but the prices were . On our last trip to the Poly, we scheduled a day in the middle of our trip to just hang out at the hotel in the pool, on the beach, renting water mice, etc. and that afternoon my DH took all our dirty laundry to the Poly laundry area. He was able to have some alone time reading magazines and such waiting on the laundry while I hung out with the girls. It worked out really well and we saved a bundle. We are doing the same thing again in April. It also saves us from having to pack as many clothes and with all the extra airline fees for bags and weight limits, the 2 hours or so in the laundry room was well worth it!

We have done this with varying success. One time we did luandry at the BC and none of it was drying, even split up into many dryers. We ended up with dampish laundry all over our room and being really late for our dinner at PYC in DTD. That was stressfull and not fun.

Since then we try to overpack. At the BWV we had washer/dryers in the rooms. As weird as it sounds, I actually got sick of that because it seemed like I was doing laundry every day. Well, I guess I was doing it every day. Kind of like at home!

Last trip we decided to just do a few items (once again we were at the BC). This time it got dry, but it was a pain doing it. DH had to stay there to wait for the dryers. It worked out OK I guess, but it's nice to have to option of having the POLY do it and not thinking about it.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

No tomatoes please!

None coming from me. Tonga Toast is something I think everyone should experience at least once (that and tasting 'Beverly' at Club Cool in EPCOT but that's another story). It is really sweet, very tasty from my POV but the pure amount of sugar in it warrants an insulin shot immediately. Not even the 100% Kona Coffee in the pressed pot can counteract the effects. My youngest nephew on the other hand things Tonga Toast is the best thing since the Playstation 3.

My fave breakfast item at Kona is the Macadamia pineapple pancakes. The Big Kahuna is great for those folks who want something else in addition to those pancakes. Thanks for the photos and the report!

 

[momto2]

Lastly, we need to print our boarding passes the day before we leave and our airline is not one that is on the "list", do they have comouters there that we can use and print stuff off of?? If so where are they located?? Thanks!!

Last March when we were at Disney, I stopped by the Guest Relations Office at Hollywood Studios (MGM). I asked a CM if they could go online at the '24 hour mark' and get my boarding passes for my flight the next night. He was able to do it and timed it perfectly. Right at the 24 hour mark! He said that all Guest Relations in each park could do it. This was great because I was willing to leave my family and go back to the hotel. I didn't have to. I checked when we entered the park. I would suggest the same for anyone considering this. Also bring your paperwork with you to the park for confirmation/flight numbers!

HTH!

 

[luvthemouse71]

None coming from me. Tonga Toast is something I think everyone should experience at least once (that and tasting 'Beverly' at Club Cool in EPCOT but that's another story). It is really sweet, very tasty from my POV but the pure amount of sugar in it warrants an insulin shot immediately. Not even the 100% Kona Coffee in the pressed pot can counteract the effects. My youngest nephew on the other hand things Tonga Toast is the best thing since the Playstation 3.

My fave breakfast item at Kona is the Macadamia pineapple pancakes. The Big Kahuna is great for those folks who want something else in addition to those pancakes. Thanks for the photos and the report!

ITA about the Tonga Toast. It was delicious and I'm glad I tried them but they are very, very sweet. When we are there in 9/2009, I'm getting the Macadamia pineapple pancakes. Can't wait to go back to the Poly!!

 

[kwlewis10]

Hi Poly Experts! I am hoping someone can give me thoughts on my room request. We are a party of 6 (me, DH, MIL, 2 kids, baby) and know it will be tight. But for the amount of time we're in the room, we're gonna do it since it's less than 2 rooms at WL. Anyways.........

I am thinking of requesting 2nd or 3rd floor in Tahiti. My kids are 3 and 5 so I worry about them opening the patio door and leaving. And I was thinking Tahiti would be better than risking a parking lot view at Rapa Nui. We definitely want one of these 2 longhouses because the rooms are larger and have 2 sinks (give MIL her "own" space).

Will the walk really only be about 5 mins. to GCH to get Kona coffee in the morning?

TIA for any thoughts! I am trying to get our requests into my TA today (I am a procrastinator). We leave on Friday.

 

[kwlewis10]

One more question as I read through some previous posts..........

Do I need to request (and/or rent) a crib? I could have sworn I read somewhere about all resorts having PnP's in the rooms. And when we stayed at AKL almost 2 years ago, that was what was in the room. A PnP will work fine for us, we don't need a real crib.

Thanks again!

 

[babydovesx2]

I was wondering if any POLY experts could help me with this question. Does the POLY have a laundry service? As in, can we fill a bag and have it picked up, washed, and returned? I read something brief about this on the first page of this thread, but would love some more info. We hate doing laundry on trips and try very hard to avoid it. We never seem to pack quite enough though with showering and changing clothes for dinner. We would be so interested in using a service like this mid-trip. Does anyone have any info/prices for this? Thanks for all your help. BTW, we are going May 16-23 09-can't wait!

We just returned from our first stay at Poly and used the laundry service 2 different time. We had great sucess and will use it again in the future. We called mousekeeping in the morning and they picked up our laundry. It was hanging in our closet each evening when we returned. If you don't have any bags in your closet just call mousekeeping to deliver you some, or leave a note for your mousekeeper to leave you some bags. Hope you have a great stay.

 

[babydovesx2]

We just got back last night from our first stay at Poly. We loved it and will be staying there for all future visits to WDW.

We were located on the 3rd floor of Tuvalu, MK view. The location and view were perfect. We could see Wishes from our balcony and could hear the music from the pool. It was just a short walk to the GCH and the pool. It was very quiet at night. The only noise we heard was the boat horn from the ferry to MK.

Our stay and our entire visit could not have been any more magical. I will post on the trip report board when I have more time.

Thanks to all the Poly and Disney experts for your advice. It truely helped.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I am thinking of requesting 2nd or 3rd floor in Tahiti. My kids are 3 and 5 so I worry about them opening the patio door and leaving. And I was thinking Tahiti would be better than risking a parking lot view at Rapa Nui. We definitely want one of these 2 longhouses because the rooms are larger and have 2 sinks (give MIL her "own" space).

There is a lock on the sliding doors so it is quite unlikely for the kids to leave that way. My daughter was 5 during our first stay at the Poly and we had a patio room. But if it will mean peace of mind for you then by all means go for the 2nd or 3rd floor in your request. Even if you do wind up with Rapa Nui, the parking lot view isn't bad at all. It's more like lot of lush tropical landscaping with a peek at a parking lot.

Will the walk really only be about 5 mins. to GCH to get Kona coffee in the morning?

Yes, it's really about a 5 min walk to the GCH.

TIA for any thoughts! I am trying to get our requests into my TA today (I am a procrastinator). We leave on Friday.

Please keep in mind that these requests are just that: requests not guarantees. My TA always puts my requests in but reminds me that these are subject to what's available at the resort when you check in. The CM will try their best to accomodate your request.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Thanks to all the Poly and Disney experts for your advice. It truely helped.

Isn't the Tuvalu building awesome for MK views? Glad to hear you had a good time and glad to hear all the advice here helped you.

 

[kwlewis10]

There is a lock on the sliding doors so it is quite unlikely for the kids to leave that way. My daughter was 5 during our first stay at the Poly and we had a patio room. But if it will mean peace of mind for you then by all means go for the 2nd or 3rd floor in your request. Even if you do wind up with Rapa Nui, the parking lot view isn't bad at all. It's more like lot of lush tropical landscaping with a peek at a parking lot.

Thanks! My husband has decided that request #1 is for the longhouse since the room size is a big deal to him. If we end up in a patio room, we'll cross our fingers that the kids don't figure out the lock. They are amazing........my 5 yo opens cabinet doors we have locked with a magnet "key", the 3yo scales the pantry shelves and the 1yo can reach up and open doors (lever kind).

We'll see what we get. I know they're only requests and the resorts are *booked* our first night, but worth it to at least request then I've done what I can .

 

[DisneyLily]

I was wondering if someone would be able to possibly answer this question:

We have two reservations at the Polynesian Resort. One is 9 days and the other is 1 day. The reason why they are seperate is because we booked the 9day one with a CAA discount, and the other night we decided to book a few months ago. We will send a fax to the Polynesian, hoping that they will allow us to remain in the same room. I've heard however, that usually you have to check in, check out and check in is this correct?

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Hi Poly Experts! I am hoping someone can give me thoughts on my room request. We are a party of 6 (me, DH, MIL, 2 kids, baby) and know it will be tight. But for the amount of time we're in the room, we're gonna do it since it's less than 2 rooms at WL. Anyways.........

I am thinking of requesting 2nd or 3rd floor in Tahiti. My kids are 3 and 5 so I worry about them opening the patio door and leaving. And I was thinking Tahiti would be better than risking a parking lot view at Rapa Nui. We definitely want one of these 2 longhouses because the rooms are larger and have 2 sinks (give MIL her "own" space).

Will the walk really only be about 5 mins. to GCH to get Kona coffee in the morning?

TIA for any thoughts! I am trying to get our requests into my TA today (I am a procrastinator). We leave on Friday.

Even Tokelau would be a great longhouse. It also has the larger rooms and no bad views. It does only have one sink but for me that means extra counter space for STUFF!

 

[summersalt]

We just returned from our first stay at Poly and used the laundry service 2 different time. We had great sucess and will use it again in the future. We called mousekeeping in the morning and they picked up our laundry. It was hanging in our closet each evening when we returned. If you don't have any bags in your closet just call mousekeeping to deliver you some, or leave a note for your mousekeeper to leave you some bags. Hope you have a great stay.

Howdy, neighbor! I'm from Morehead City.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

We will send a fax to the Polynesian, hoping that they will allow us to remain in the same room. I've heard however, that usually you have to check in, check out and check in is this correct?

I believe this is indeed correct. Most of the time due to bookings, a room that is available for you one night (and you've got a reservation for that one night) may be set aside for another guest the next night.

 

[Sea Turtles]

Aloha all!
Big-time Poly thread lurker here. This thread always helps sustain me between Poly trips LOL. We actually leave in 3 days for our Disney Wedding and Disneymoon at the Poly Cannot wait!!
Anywho, I'm trying to help a friend who was recently at the Poly and went to the Luau. Her fam misplaced the Luau picture they purchased and was wondering if they had any recourse in obtaining another one. They did try and call but the cast member didn't seem too familiar with that sort of situation. I def plan on asking when I get there but I figured I'd take a stab at it to see if for some reason a Poly Dis'er found themselves in a similar scenario and what action they took.

Many thanks!

 

[summersalt]

. We actually leave in 3 days for our Disney Wedding and Disneymoon at the Poly


Congratulations! I wish you a magical adventure.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Aloha all!
Big-time Poly thread lurker here. This thread always helps sustain me between Poly trips LOL. We actually leave in 3 days for our Disney Wedding and Disneymoon at the Poly Cannot wait!!

That's great! Congrats! The Poly is lovely for honeymooners too.

Anywho, I'm trying to help a friend who was recently at the Poly and went to the Luau. Her fam misplaced the Luau picture they purchased and was wondering if they had any recourse in obtaining another one. They did try and call but the cast member didn't seem too familiar with that sort of situation. I def plan on asking when I get there but I figured I'd take a stab at it to see if for some reason a Poly Dis'er found themselves in a similar scenario and what action they took.

If this is within 30 days (and I'm making an educated guess here) they should be able to retrieve the shot bo looking up the image id. If you can give the photopass people (and there's a Photopass desk in the Poly on the 2nd level of the GCH) the date the photo was taken, they *should* be able to look it up. All images have a wierd alpha code that's tagged with a date and time. I'm not making any promises but the engineering geek in me says *somebody* should be able to dig this one up. Since you can add the Luau photo to a Photopass card (and I've done it), you should be able to do the reverse.

Again, I'm not promising anything but if you get the right Photopass CM with enough 'geek' and drive to provide the Disney touch, they should be able to make this happen for you. Good luck!

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Thanks! My husband has decided that request #1 is for the longhouse since the room size is a big deal to him. If we end up in a patio room, we'll cross our fingers that the kids don't figure out the lock. They are amazing........my 5 yo opens cabinet doors we have locked with a magnet "key", the 3yo scales the pantry shelves and the 1yo can reach up and open doors (lever kind).

Oh, I know of what you speak. Mine at 5 yo wasn't good at locks but made up with it with speed at how fast she could move. Many remote controls made their way into the toilet quicker than you could blink an eye. But at 8 yo, when we stayed at the AKL, we had a balcony room and I thought she'd be okay with not opening the locks. My absent-minded sister left the door unlocked and imagine my horror when I notice in the AM my kid isn't in bed but is on the balcony enjoying watching the zebras and giraffes get their breakfast.

We'll see what we get. I know they're only requests and the resorts are *booked* our first night, but worth it to at least request then I've done what I can .

Oh most definitely! And the CMs at the Poly have always gone the extra mile for me, especially when it comes to taking in account the needs of my family. Just make sure at check-in you reiterate those needs. And if the first room doesn't suit you, don't hesitate to contact the front desk to ask for a different room.