The Official Polynesian Resort FAQ thread!

[Tikiman]

Well, the poly has 10 seperate buildings, GF has 6, and the CR has 9. While the GF has the smallest number of buildings, I dont think it's really much smaller than the Poly as far as the grounds go. As for the CR, even if you stay in the "Tower", the travel times using the elevators/escalators can be quite long.

Just be glad you didnt stay at CBR. That one's almost as big as FW, but without the golf carts and late-running internal busses!

ConcKahuna,

That is a great point. I know I have been in a few different resorts and the rooms might seem close to the lobby because you are in the same building but by the time you wait for the elevator and get there and walk it can be much longer than most things at the Polynesian. It is all a perception thing. So many people were quoting times for the walk that I decided to walk the resort and tape the walk. The timer on the camera shows how long it takes an the slow pace at which I walked. I took some of the times off the tape and here are a few I posted.

Hawaii to the GCH 2 minutes
Tokelau to the Volcano pool walking the beach 4 minutes
Tahiti to the Volcano pool walking the beach 4 minutes
Tahiti to the GCH 3 minutes taking the path through the resort.
Tuvalu to the GCH 2 minutes
Aotearoa to the GCH 2 minutes
Fiji to the GCH 1 minute
Niue and Rartotonga to the GCH less than 1 minute

Now from one end of the resort to the other (from Aotearoa to Tahiti) 6 minutes

From Tahiti to the Wedding pavilion 8 minutes

 

[BionicEar]

From Tahiti to the Wedding pavilion 8 minutes

So I guess it WAS less than a 15 min walk from GF to the Poly? LOL

ConcKahuna couldn't have said it better!

I guess some people just don't like to walk. I'm the one who won't be looking for a parking spot next to the door, because I tell myself I need the exercise!

Just MY two cents. . . if you're going to be complaining about the "long walk" around the resort, then perhaps you shouldn't be at WDW. You do so much more walking around the parks!

 

[BCV23]

pkp, I hope you called about the exhaust and the sheets. We've found that the new exhuast fans work much better than the old ones as the mirrors don't even fog up now. If yours wasn't working that could be the kind of thing a mousekeeper would never notice since they don't shower in the rooms. And there is no excuse for holes in the sheets.

The beds are new pillowtop mattresses and the GF has them too and I think the CR does as well. I love them but I guess we all have our own preferences.

I have to agree with everyone about the distances. We've stayed in Rapa Nui quite a few times and I think I could crawl to the GCH in less than 15 minutes. The beach by Tahiti has to be less than a minute. The temporary CS at Tangaroa Snack Isle should be that fast of a walk too. The TTC is so close. Probably less than 5 minutes to get up the Epcot monorail ramp for me.

But it is good that you've discovered that the Polynesian isn't your favorite. There are so many choices and they all have their advantages.

I do wonder why you posted on the "Official" Poly FAQ instead of posting your own review thread. It seems to me that this thread will get ungainly if we all do this. Sorry if that sounds critical...sometimes I can't figure out how to post something and make it sound as gentle as I mean.

Hope your next vacation is all you want it to be.

 

[ReddPalmetto]

Via our travel agent we already have a courtesy reservation at the Poly for October 22-26 (Sunday - Thursday). We are taking out 4 year old.

My question is this: I have researched every site (especially yours, tikiman!) and I need advice on what to request/ask for in terms of a room/longhouse. As an aside - we are going the Garden View rate, but are purchasing the plan with park tickets (hopper plan) and dinning option. Our daughter loves to swim - so proximity to the pools is important. And - I'd like a refurbished room!

Thanks in advance for ideas and advice!

 

[PRaffen]

Only three weeks until our LVC stay at the Polynesian

I've requested third floor and wondered what other concierge lovers favorite room is for a nice castle view.

Thanks!

Pat

 

[BCV23]

Via our travel agent we already have a courtesy reservation at the Poly for October 22-26 (Sunday - Thursday). We are taking out 4 year old.

My question is this: I have researched every site (especially yours, tikiman!) and I need advice on what to request/ask for in terms of a room/longhouse. As an aside - we are going the Garden View rate, but are purchasing the plan with park tickets (hopper plan) and dinning option. Our daughter loves to swim - so proximity to the pools is important. And - I'd like a refurbished room!

Thanks in advance for ideas and advice!

Welcome to the DIS!

Why not just request a room near the pools and let the magic happen.

It sounds like all the longhouses that will be open will be refurbished by then. Tahiti I guess will still be closed but who knows.

Have fun at the Polynesian.

 

[PolyAddict]

Only three weeks until our LVC stay at the Polynesian

I've requested third floor and wondered what other concierge lovers favorite room is for a nice castle view.

Thanks!

Pat

sorry can't help, I just get green with envy everytime I read that someone is staying Poly LVC, above anything thing else I read on the dis, I am most jealous of this. I am such a weirdo. Even threads that talk about how long their trips are or how many a year they take. I have only stayed GVC. LVC is like my pie in the sky good. Have a fantastic trip!!!!

 

[lovepooh]

We leave in 10 days and I have been calling daily to switch from GV to GVC. Concierge is all booked up. I'm hoping someone cancels but I guess at this point it is pretty unlikely.

 

[First timer]

Got back last week from a weeks stay at Poly. My first time to that particular resort. Although I found the grounds to be stunning, and the views of the lake and MK to be great (as well as the atmosphere in general), I probably won't stay there again.

1) It is too spread out! I know this is part of the atmosphere, but the only thing less than a 15 min walk was the quiet pool (we stayed in Rapa Nui sp?) and we only went there twice for about an hour. The walk to the TTC or the resort's monorail was about the same, but since you have the transfer to go to Epcot, we usually just walked to the TTC.

2) Although the rooms are refurbished, they are still simply not worth the cost. The sheets were stained and had holes in them (and the beds were not very comfortable), the ceiling fan did not work, there were was no air vent or exhaust in the bathroom (which means you are sweating when you get out of the shower. The refurb seemed like little more than a fresh coat of paint and a new TV.

We had a great time, and the Poly was lovely, but on our next trip, I think we might shoot for the more compact Cont or GF. Or maybe even the Swan/Dolphin or Boardwalk, which are closer to our favorite two parks - MGM and Epcot. I stayed at the Swan in 97 and it was great. I haven't stayed at the Cont since I was a kid and never at the GF, but everything seems much closer and I understand both have rooms that are in a little better shape.

Just me two cents!

I am really shocked!! When we last stayed the rooms were very very clean - sheets crisp and clean - beds were extremely comfortable. As a matter of fact the AC was so strong along with the bathroom vents that I was freezing half the time after showering. How very disappointing for you!

 

[pkp]

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy my stay, I'm just saying that I have stayed at Hampton Inns that have nicer rooms than the Poly. As far as the complaints on my couple of issues go, the only think I mentioned to anyone were the sheets, and they were changed - but still ratty as well as the blanket between the bedspread and the sheets. In regards to the bathroom exhaust - there wasn't one. It wasn't an issue of working or not - there was not air conditioning in the room and no exaust fan. The resort was nice and very pretty, but I felt that the rehab was just not done that well. The grout was falling out of the tile in the shower, the fixtures and fan did not appear to have been replaced and the shower curtain had tears and stains on it.

My bed did not have a pillowtop matress and the pillows were very cheap. From what other people are saying, I'm wondering if our room had been completely finished or if they still had some work to do.

As far as being spread out, I'm 27 and in excellent shape. It's not the walking, but the time spent going from one place to another. Maybe it was seven minutes, but when you make the walk 10 times a day, it just seems like you're wasting so much time.

And one more thing - this will certainly not be an issue within the next few months, but they were still working on some rooms in our building. We tried to sleep in a couple of mornings only to be awakaned by hammers and drills running. Once again, this will certainly go away soon, but it was a bit annoying.

My bottom line is, the hotel was great, and I know everything at Disney is expensive - but I was just a little dissapointed for $315 a night. I am in sales and spent nearly 100 nights in hotels last year and stayed in several $125 hotel rooms nicer than the Poly. It was great, but just wasn't our taste for the $ - the only thing that seemed upscale about it was the landscaping, which was stunning. Maybe I'm being too picky???

 

[Tikiman]

I am wondering if you were not in a new room. Every new room has gotten the new pillow top beds and I especially know this for Rapa Nui since I have photos of them being brought into the rooms before they opened (on my site). Also the rooms were gutted when they were redone but the bathroom tile was not completely redone. I also have never seen a bathroom without an exhaust fan and I have been in rooms in Tahiti, Rapa Nui, Tuvalu, Samoa, Fiji, Aotearoa, Tonga and Hawaii. When the Unofficial Guide book did room tests they checked everything to the thread count of the sheets and they graded the new items in the new room design very high. Are you sure this was a new room? Were you on the second floor?

 

[shelleyr25]

pkp- Just wondering what building and floor you had for your trip..

 

[Tam1067]

We stayed in Samoa in July and LOVED it, found the rooms super clean, the sheets and bedding very nice, the mattresses comfortable, and the pillows great. My DS even loved the small daybed. We were never bothered by any noise from the construction either, although we did see it on our walks through the resort. I'm really surprised at this report from pkp because it is so much the opposite of ours.

 

[thumper0329]

I don't know if anyone has asked this yet or not, but I was wondering how the Poly compared to the other resorts in regards to decorations for Christmas. This is our first time going to WDW and we will be staying at the Poly LVC in Dec. We have two DDs. I just wanted to know if the Poly has a nice Christmas feel to it?

Thanks

 

[Catrin]

I havent been able to get a straight answer.... maybe someone here (tikiman?) knows for sure....

Is TAHITI going to be CLOSED Labor Day Weekend??

We have asked for a Lagoon View room - what other biulding do you suggest??
This is my 40th Bday present - we had Tahiti in mind, but are looking at options.
THanks,
Cathy

 

[Tikiman]

Thumper0329,

We will be in LVC this December also. They do a nice job of decorating the resort with Christmas stuff and even have Christmas Hawaiian music around the resort. Here are a few photos at the bottom of this link.

http://tikiman2001.homestead.com/poly12.html

I got photos from last Christmas from a friend of the concierge lounge and they had a huge tree.

Catrin,

Tahiti is scheduled to close August 21 and will be closed until about November.

 

[Catrin]

THanks Tikiman..... I had thought so, I just wanted to make sure....

too bad, as I have been waiting 3 yrs to stay there!
BUT>. at least I am going to the Poly!
Catrin

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Tahiti is scheduled to close August 21 and will be closed until about November.

Woohoo! This is the one that I'll be requesting then! I really want two sinks, and I don't go until June.

 

[Kourtnie]

We are staying POLY GVC. Are you allowed to make a Drink and bring it down to the pool with you?

 

[ANNFMUR]

subbing