Would this be "okay" to do

[anne60]

My husband and I are going to WDW in May. I am waiting for AP codes to come out, but unless I get a great deal, we will probably opt to stay at All Stars. I would like to see the water pageant, and thought that one evening we could head over to the Poly, have some appetizers and drinks at the Tambu lounge, and then head down to the beach to watch the parade. Is this okay to do, or is the beach for Poly guests only? Also, has anyone ever been to the lounge? Is it nice, or just a waiting area for the restaurant? Thanks!

 

[Bill From PA]

We had drinks and a snack at the lounge at Poly last Nov. before heading over to GF to view the fireworks from in front of Gasparilla's. Except for pools, I think WDW resorts are open to guests not staying at a particular resort. The lounge could be considered a waiting area for the restaurant, but we enjoyed a shrimp cocktail and some brews and I'd consider it a nice place in its own right.


Bill From PA

 

[tbear]

..what you want to do is acceptable...many folks in fact do similar things as this, wether it be at the poly, or any other resort.It is welcomed and encouraged by WDW for more than one reason, but the most obvious is to try to entice your next stay to be at one of the more luxurious resorts.
So, go ahead, make your plans..enjoy your drinks, maybe even grab a bite...if your unsure on where to go ask one of the friendly cm's you'll find there..they will point you in the right direction....enjoy the show, and even more...realize this is one of Disney's more romantic moments...bask in it, and enjoy it entirely!!!

 

[ducklite]

Yup--that's fine. What's not fine is what happened to soneone--maybe Tikiman?--where people actually sat in the chairs on the patios of the rooms in the Hawaii building...or maybe they dragged them off the patio onto the beach, at either rate it was very unacceptable. (I'm NOT saying you would do this of course!)

What you might want to do is get there a little early--there are some nice swinging chairs on the beach, and watch from one of those

Anne

 

[patsal]

Your scenario is perfectly acceptable. Go and enjoy! So long as what you are planning to do does not infringe on the resorts paying guests there should never be a problem.

 

[NotTooGoofy]

On one visit, my family and I were staying at AS-M but went over to WL to watch the Electric Water Pageant. So it is acceptable. We often visit many of the Disney resorts for dining and shopping.

 

[katiemegcz]

My family and I have made it a tradition to go 3 days before our park tickets start so that we can enjoy the resorts and Downtown Disney before the mad dash to see everything the parks have to offer. We did ask before we visited the different resorts, and were encouraged by Disney to do so. We stayed at POR. We did the Luau, and watched the water pageant from the Poly. We toured the Grand Floridian, and watched the fireworks from there. We rode the monorail and the ferry boats between the 4 MK resorts. We ate the the Wilderness Lodge. We went to the Barbecue at the Camprground, and rented watermice. We rode surrey bikes around the Boardwalk YC and BC, and watched the Epcot fireworks, while eating at an outdoor cafe there. We took the ferry boat to Downtown Disney, shopped, got silhouette pictures done of the kids, and had all of our purchases sent back to the rooms. We enjoyed some of the character meals at the Resorts. And we enjoyed our resort pool (you can't use the pools at the other resorts).

Doing this has really enhanced our enjoyment of the whole Disney experience, althogh it takes some work with the ressies (you have to cross your fingers that you can keep your room when you start your park tickets).

In short, yes, you can do this, and SHOULD!

Have a wonderful trip

 

[A1A1]

Part of the magic of visiting Walt Disney World and staying on property is experiencing all that it has to offer. The beautiful and varied themed resorts are part of the magic. They are what keep you coming back year after year and wanting to experience it all over again.

 

[morrow4]

What is the water pagent / parade ?
Thanks.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by patsal
Your scenario is perfectly acceptable. Go and enjoy! So long as what you are planning to do does not infringe on the resorts paying guests there should never be a problem.

I don't want to start any type of arguement and I am not critizing anyone, so please don't take offense.

But at what point does this infringe on the guest paying the high cost of a Magic Kingdom resort. Surely we all understand that the high cost is not due to the rooms being that much better, other than larger, than less expensive resorts. You pay that much for the location and what that location provides you. You never read a post where someone staying at the Polynesian wants to know if they can hang out at All Star.


I know Disney has had to step in and issue parking pass restrictions due to the number of people using the resort parking lots that did not stay there.

Don't even ask a Polynesian guest what the 4th of July is like.

I know that one or two extra people will not make a difference, but this forum is read by thousands, at what point does a deluxe resort become simliar to the parks with crowds of people milling around. Making it hard for the paying guests to enjoy the serenity and quietness of the resort.

My personal opinion and this again is not a personal attack on any one person, just an opinion. If you have a dining reservation for a meal at any resort full service restaurant or do shopping, you have paid enough to enjoy the amenties that a paying guest has. If you have not paid that much, then sorry you are infringing and wanting to enjoy something for free that others have paid for.

I know some will say that they can't afford the deluxe resorts. I am not wealthy, but I work hard for an entire year, saving money to stay at a deluxe resort. I can't afford to eat at California Grill, so I don't go up there and hang out. I would like to be able to find a place to sit and watch the parade and fireworks at a resort where I have paid to stay. I would be disappointed if all the seats were taken my someone not staying there. Maybe the courteous thing would be, is to wait until the fireworks or parade begin and slip into any untaken seats. That way paying guests would have a place to sit.

I am curious though. Do those that think this practice is acceptable, pay to stay at deluxe resorts?

Just my opinion and not a critism of any one person.

 

[djjsb]

Sammie,
Although I don't totally agree, your point is very well made. We watched the water parade from the poly while staying at OKW and spending a nice amount at dinner at the poly. Likewise just my husband and I had a few drinks at AKL(without children) and checked out that resort. Each time we visited we reminded the chidren to be quiet and repsectful and we spent a significant amount of money. Now we will be at WLV and can watch the water parade from our own resort. The most important thing is that people don't take for granted the guests that are residing at the resort you may just be "visiting". Hopefully the guards at the parking areas are "screening" people enough before they allow them entry so this won't happen.

 

[jlieblaw]

I think it's perfectly acceptable for a guest to tour a deluxe even if not staying there. We did that last time we were there. The only deluxe we ate at was CR but we toured all the monorail resorts and AKL. We also went to BWR but that was for a DVC presentation. Now that I toured them, I have decided to save up and go during value time so I can stay at a deluxe. I'm not staying at a deluxe for the views of the fireworks, ELP, etc. I want to stay at a deluxe for the incredible theme, the interior corridors, and the queen beds and extra room in the guest rooms. I also like the transportation options provided by the deluxes. I don't think non-guests touring the resort will be any problem. And I don't think they should have to spend money at that resort before or while touring either (although I'm not going during a holiday or summer when crowds are greater). Regardless of which resort you're staying at, you're spending plenty of money for your vacation. By the way, when we go, I'll probably go from the deluxe we're going to stay at to POR just to enjoy the walk along the river and to get some beignets, even though I won't be staying there.

 

[ducklite]

Generally on non-holidays the number of guests visiting the GF and Poly to watch the fireworks are minimal, and I think that most plan dinner around this as well. The CR has become a bit of an issue because of the observation decks and lounge at the CA Grill (I had heard they were going to deny access to these unless you had a reservation...maybe a reservation of CR room key).

At any rate, back to the Poly and GF...on the average day it's not a problem, as the amount of guests visiting do not disrupt the experience of the guests who are staying there. But on certain holidays (4th of July for example), it does become disruptive. At that point, yes, they should probably not allow parking (Even for guests of other WDW resorts) unless one has a confirmed PS., and not allow non-resort and confirmed dining guests onto the property after a certain time of the day. AKL did this when they first opened, as the new that there were TONS of people who would just want to come over a check out the resort, and it would be too disruptive to the guests staying there...they took a deposit on dining for Boma and Jiko to keep people from making PS to get onto the property and then not eating there.

We stayed at the Poly last summer, and paid premium dollars for a lagoon view concierge room. I would have been more than a little upset if I wasn't able to see the fireworks from my patio because there were too many non-Poly resort guests crowding the area. It wasn't a problem, as there was no holiday involved, but I can certainly see the point of those who were inconvenienced like this.

To me this is the same type of thing as the fencing and ID'ing at SAB. It had to be done, as there were just too many paying guests of those resorts who being greatly inconvenienced by those who were not paying to be there.

Bascially what I'm saying is that the WDW resorts need to take this kind of thing into account and take steps to ensure a magical stay for their guests...even if it means shutting others out during certain peak times. But when attendance is lower, there's no reason to not allow non-resort guests to watch the fireworks from there.

It's kind of a common sense thing.

Anne

 

[LvsTnk]

Our room was a couple of rooms down from Tikiman's on the 4th and it wasn't a pretty sight! People had chairs stacked (3 lounge chairs) on their backs taking them from the pool deck!

Anyway the only other thing that happened to us was the lack of or should I say a full parking lot at the BWI when we were staying there.

They seem to have a better handle on things now and I am sure if anything is a problem they will let you know at the parking lot gate. Either with a 3hr. parking pass or you might have to have a dinner reservation if the lot is full.

Have Fun! The fireworks and EWP are awesome from the beach!

 

[katiemegcz]

To answer your question Sammie, yes. My family (11 total-with MIL, FIL and SIL, BIL and all kids) paid to stay at the POLY for 9 nights and 10 nights on our last 2 trips. We have also stayed at other resorts, including POR, where we prefer to go for the pools over the Poly.

I do understand your point. Certainly when we pay premium to stay at the Deluxe resorts, we expect to have first priority for the amenities. But, in many many visits, I have never had issues with the visiting folks from other resorts. I in fact, cannot tell the difference. I am usually in such a good mood at Disney, that I hope everyone around me has as wonderful a trip as I am. When I have the good fortune of staying at a 5-star resort, I would not begrudge those who cannot afford it the opportunity to get a taste of it. I have, in fact found that the people who stay at the Deluxe resorts tend to be far more problematic, as some (not all) take for granted the experience, and carelittle for the experiences of others. When I stay at one resort, and visit another, my family is on their best behavior, and are always pumping our hard earned vacation dollars into the various activities offered at the various resorts. The Luau, the shops on the Boardwalk, character meals at the various resorts, etc.

I have been to the Poly on 4th of July, and found everyone to be courteous and obliging. The crowd is the same as it would be anywhere is the US on that fine day, and it is sort of our duty to get in the spirit and make room for everyone, don't you think? (Just a thought).

One more thing to consider...Disney relies on resort-hopping to bring people back to try resorts they got a taste of on a previous trip. And the people who are staying at a particular resort are not enough to keep the resort amenities open. Often, people who get off the monorail curious to see the Poly, make ressies to the Luau, or stop to eat at O'Hana.

OK, I'm hopping down off my soap box. We're all friends here!