The Official Polynesian Resort FAQ thread!

[mr.mike]

I just got back from the Poly and IMO the CR does not even compare. Otherwise, I think you may be disappointed.

I think all 3 monorail resorts are great. Even though the Contemp is my favorite I have a hard time choosing. Next week we'll be checking in at the GF. Now all i need to do is squeeze in a CR stay soon.

 

[4forMe]

The Poly was my first resort so I have very fond memories of it. My mom is coming along for this trip and is ecstatic to stay at Poly again. We have our rooms booked. July 2008 can't come fast enough!

 

[MrsJ Henry]

We are looking to stay at the Poly since it is on the monorail and we will have our 2 year old with us.
I keep hoping we will love it.
We have stayed at the YC and that is my favorite. I love the light a airy feel to it.
Are there any other BC,YC,BW, lovers out there that stayed at the Poly and loved that just as much?

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

We are looking to stay at the Poly since it is on the monorail and we will have our 2 year old with us.
I keep hoping we will love it.
We have stayed at the YC and that is my favorite. I love the light a airy feel to it.
Are there any other BC,YC,BW, lovers out there that stayed at the Poly and loved that just as much?

We love the BC too!!! But after one stay at the Poly it just slightly won our hearts alittle bit more (not much). Walking out to the beach and seeing that castle makes it alittle more magical, IMHO.
Can't wait till our stay there in about 24 days, we're trying LVC this time and are not telling the kids till we get to the airport. We're also celebrating our DS 6th birthday-- I can't wait to see his face!!!

 

[cdel73]

Can you request turn down service at the poly if you are not staying conierge? If so how much do you tip for this service?

 

[suffolkprincess]

Can you request turn down service at the poly if you are not staying conierge? If so how much do you tip for this service?

We requested it for the duration of the stay on our first day and never had to call again. YMMV.

We tipped mousekeeping $1/ day for turn down and $3/ day for general housekeeping. I don't know if that is right, but that was what we did. (Two adults and 1 child staying in the room.)

OH: and we were not staying concierge, just plain old garden view, FIJI 1306 with a great view of Luau Cove beach!

 

[WickedWench]

We requested it for the duration of the stay on our first day and never had to call again. YMMV.

We tipped mousekeeping $1/ day for turn down and $3/ day for general housekeeping. I don't know if that is right, but that was what we did. (Two adults and 1 child staying in the room.)

Do you have to tip separately for the turn down?

 

[fairymommy]

I don't mean to be rude, but what's the big deal with turndown service? Is there something I am missing? It seems to me like they are just folding back the covers on the bed, doesn't that take like a couple seconds to do yourself? Please let me know if there is more to it than this.

 

[WickedWench]

I don't mean to be rude, but what's the big deal with turndown service? Is there something I am missing? It seems to me like they are just folding back the covers on the bed, doesn't that take like a couple seconds to do yourself? Please let me know if there is more to it than this.

You get chocolates on your pillow. :> They just arrange the pillows and sheets nicer than I would if I tore into it myself. Sometimes they leave other stuff too. Once I got a card.

 

[fairymommy]

You get chocolates on your pillow. :> They just arrange the pillows and sheets nicer than I would if I tore into it myself. Sometimes they leave other stuff too. Once I got a card.

Did you say chocolate? Now I understand!

 

[mr.mike]

I wondered what the big deal about turn down was until I experienced it.

It was very nice to come back to the room with a light on and sometimes the TV, have fresh towels and shampoo and have the beds turned down to easily slip the sleeping children into. I didn't even get a chance to try the chocolate. My older kids would grab them all.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I just gotta say this, "THIRTEEN DAYS LEFT UNTIL WE'RE AT THE POLY!!"

Yesterday the kids decorated 'Mousekeeping' envelopes. Tonight we're stuffing them with the tip money.

 

[ThinkTink75]

Okay... so I skimmed through a few of the first pages and it seems like the best way to find the info that I want is to ask the Poly experts instead of trying to read all 150+ pages on this Thread!

Here's my backstory:
My boyfriend of 6 years and I are 22 and 24, we took our first trip to WDW in January of 2006 and stayed at All Star Movies for 10 days. It was great, we were in a Herbie room and it was the right price considering we were spending a long weekend at the beach after WDW and were on DDP so we were all about value. Well, it was a perfect first vacation to WDW to me and Rob hadn't been in so long that it was magical for him as well. At Christmas this past year I told him I really wanted to go back before we got married (or engaged for that matter) and for my birthday on March 14th Rob surprised me and said he was going to take me for my birthday. He basically gave me the amount of money that we paid for our last trip (even tho last time we were there for 10 days and this time we would be going for 7) and said to go off to the Travel Agent and decide everything myself (I am a bit of an organization freak) and off we went. We chose Pop Century this time but I was not satisfied, and frankly niether was Rob so we kept looking. Then I got an email showing just how inexpensive it was to go from preferred at Pop to preferred at Caribbean Beach Resort. So we did it! And boy were we happy! We looooooved it! We got back to NY on the 28th with no regrets AND Rob even said he could never go back to a value again. And it wasn't being snobbish- we were so impressed by everything from the rooms, to the pool, to the way the resort looked!

Now:
We are on the verge of being grown up. Getting ready to move in together, starting our career jobs, and the next step is clearly getting engaged. Only I know once that comes and wedding planning starts and all that money and festivity goes on-- Disney World vacations will be put on hold for a while. So, I have it in my head that I can scrimp and save and maybe just maybe the two of us can go on one more annual Disney vacation next year. I am hoping the Pirate and Princess party will be back next August and we can go then. And since we had to miss O'Hana this time and I could only imagine that the Poly is a big step up from CBR the way CBR was from All Stars so I want to make my dream WDW vacation come true!

Only I have a few questions:
--Is it worth the money? Is it as gorgeous as it seems?
--Where can I find pictures of the Poly??
--Has anyone been to CBR and the Poly?? Could you give me a comparison? I am especially interested in the size since CBR is so vast.
--Is this a resort where building assignment is a big deal? I want a Magic Kingdom view but didn't see anything "preferred" so I was hoping that meant everything was very reasonably placed compared to the main pool and food court.
--And as for food I def want to do the OHana breakfast but where is it located? And what about the Spirit of Aloha dinner show? Is it worth the price and where is it located? How is the food court food?
--Are there resort buses to MGM and Animal Kingdom and the water parks? I know you can take the monorail to Epcot and MK but I wanted to double check. We have used the monorail to get back and forth from Epcot to MK but never stopped at the Poly, is it a different monorail track all together?

Okay and I am cutting myself off from the question asking for now. LoL! Any info would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[cdel73]

We requested it for the duration of the stay on our first day and never had to call again. YMMV.

We tipped mousekeeping $1/ day for turn down and $3/ day for general housekeeping. I don't know if that is right, but that was what we did. (Two adults and 1 child staying in the room.)

OH: and we were not staying concierge, just plain old garden view, FIJI 1306 with a great view of Luau Cove beach!

Thanks! I think I will do this. I think it would be so nice to see the beds turned down after a long day in the parks with two little ones.

 

[CoolPool]

Thinktink; the citadel of information and pics of the Poly is found by googling tikiman 2001 dot net or so.

"Is is worth it" is entirely subjective and cannot be answered by anyone but you. If you have the money as many of us here do, then its worth it. If you are killing yourself to make it all make sense, then probably it isn't worth it because you are setting yourself up with unreasonable expectations. For many us, we love the theme, the resort atmosphere, and the location/location/location.

The size of the Poly is comparatively small to CBR. A theme park view costs more money than a lagoon view which costs more money than a garden view. The nice thing about the Poly is that pool views are the same as garden view costwise though. Good luck and please start your information drive at the above website.

 

[Tess]

Only I have a few questions:
--Is it worth the money? That is subjective, some will say yes, others no. We are longtime Polynesian devotees and we've felt every penny was well spent. Now, that said, with the new rates that have just come out and fewer discounts, it might become tougher to justify. Price is about perception and you won't know until you give it a go.

Is it as gorgeous as it seems? Yes, the Polynesian grounds is absolutely lovely. My husband and I wander the resort at length and have done so for many years. I have to say, this year the resort was in tip top shape.

--Where can I find pictures of the Poly??There are several threads running right now that have links to pics or pics in the posts. I posted a link a few pages back on this very thread. Check out stuff by SeaSpray and PolyPal for some other recent stuff. The poster above also gave you a good recommendation.

--Has anyone been to CBR and the Poly?? Could you give me a comparison? I am especially interested in the size since CBR is so vast.Albeit many years ago, we have stayed at CBR. The Polynesian is much more contained and has a Pacific Island feel, not a Caribbean feel. There is a huge difference. The Polynesian is not nearly as spread out as CBR. You could walk from anywhere within the Polynesian grounds within 1-4 minutes.


--Is this a resort where building assignment is a big deal? Again, it is a matter of preference. Do you prefer to have a more quiet atmosphere or a view of the pool. Would you rather be close to the GCH (restaurants/shops/monorail) or is being nearer to the EPCOT monorail more to your liking? These are things you need to consider when thinking about a specific building.

I want a Magic Kingdom view but didn't see anything "preferred" so I was hoping that meant everything was very reasonably placed compared to the main pool and food court.There are no "preferred" room categories such as you have experienced at the mods. The "preferred" spaces would be the concierge level or MK view level. These are also the most expensive views as well and you will pay very dearly for them compared to CBR or other moderate. All of the rooms are "reasonably placed" in that each has its own beneficial location. It all depends on how you answer the question above as to which longhouse is right for you.

--And as for food I def want to do the OHana breakfast but where is it located? 'Ohana is located in the Great Ceremonial House on the second floor. That is also the location of the monorail station and Kona Cafe. There is also a small convenience store and gift store as well as a coffee/pastry bar.

And what about the Spirit of Aloha dinner show? Is it worth the price and where is it located? How is the food court food?I haven't been to the SoA dinner in a good many years. We have seen it twice and enjoyed it both times. The food is okay, not great, but okay. You are paying for the entertainment. The Luau Cove is located on the west side of the Polynesian property. It is a short walk from anywhere within the resort. There is no "food court" per se, it is a quick serve restaurant called Captain Cook's. It has a more limited menu than the food courts, but what is served was good for quick service food.

--Are there resort buses to MGM and Animal Kingdom and the water parks?Yes, there is a bus stop located in front of the resort near the Neverland Club. You can't miss it when you are there. I know you can take the monorail to Epcot and MK but I wanted to double check. We have used the monorail to get back and forth from Epcot to MK but never stopped at the Poly, is it a different monorail track all together?It is a different monorail track from the resorts to MK and EPCOT to the TTC (ticket and transportation center) You are able to switch monorails at TTC or you can walk from the Polynesian to the TTC to get the EPCOT monorail without riding the resort circuit.


Okay and I am cutting myself off from the question asking for now. LoL! Any info would be helpful! Thanks!

Feel free to fire away, there is a wealth of information here to digest. Hope some of it was helpful to you!

 

[danj]

Im considering reserving the ambassodor suite at the poly and was wondering if anyone had pics or links to any pics.

 

[ThinkTink75]

Thinktink; the citadel of information and pics of the Poly is found by googling tikiman 2001 dot net or so.

"Is is worth it" is entirely subjective and cannot be answered by anyone but you. If you have the money as many of us here do, then its worth it. If you are killing yourself to make it all make sense, then probably it isn't worth it because you are setting yourself up with unreasonable expectations. For many us, we love the theme, the resort atmosphere, and the location/location/location.

The size of the Poly is comparatively small to CBR. A theme park view costs more money than a lagoon view which costs more money than a garden view. The nice thing about the Poly is that pool views are the same as garden view costwise though. Good luck and please start your information drive at the above website.

Feel free to fire away, there is a wealth of information here to digest. Hope some of it was helpful to you!

Thanks for the info! I bookmarked the site and I got some great answers between this and the people who PMed me! Thanks to everyone! I now have my heart set on the Poly... now all that is left to do is convince the DBF that we need another vacation even though we just got back from WDW two weeks ago!

 

[SeaSpray]

Feel free to fire away, there is a wealth of information here to digest. Hope some of it was helpful to you!

Wow Tess, excellent job answering all those questions!


ThinkTink75: I just got back from the Polynesian less than 2 weeks ago, my report and a LOT of pictures can be found in the thread that I have a link to below in my signature. Enjoy!

 

[kutchyone]

Do they have corner rooms at the Poly that have double windows?

If we do end up with no balcony do they still have the full pation doors and do they open to let in the sounds from outoors?

My big kids, 18 & 19 are trying to decide where to rent sea raycers, Poly or BC. We are doing a split stay. Which has less activity on the lake, I may make the decision for them?

Does Capt. Cooks serve pancakes with chocolate chips, the 19 year old loves those?

Thanks for your help, we leave this Wednesday.