ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: June 2013

[huntconn]

My comment above pertains to the waterfall at the volcano pool not the waterfall in the gch

 

[karriealex]

First off I have to say Dole Whip YUUUUMMMMMYYYY!!

Secondly when we headed down to Capt. Cooks we stopped at Wyland Gallery in the lobby. While we were there I found a painting of all the Winnie the Pooh characters including Christopher Robin crossing a bridge. I absolutely fell in love with it as you hardly ever see all the characters and often you don't see Christopher Robin and/or Eeyore in a picture. Dh asked the price of the painting. When Charlie told us I thought for sure dh would say no. He said yes. We paid half now and are paying half when we go to the artists show and he personalizes it for us in October. We can't take the painting home with us now because they need it prior to the show so that is why they are doing the split payment thing. I am totally flabbergasted that dh bought it for me. We have been looking for the perfect picture for behind the couch for a year and this one is perfect. I am on cloud nine!!

 

[bluejasmine]

Has the waterfall been off for your entire trip? I did notice on some recent photos from folks that were there recently, that the waterfall seemed to be much smaller (less water) than usual. We will be checking in on Sunday. It will be disappointing if the water feature is not working or diminshed.

I just text a friend that checked in at the Poly a few days ago & she said the waterfall is on, they were just in the GCH

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

 

[MichelleWV]

Hi Everyone…this is my first post, although I have been a long time lurker. My husband, my 4 year old son & I are booked at the Poly in November with free dining. We have never shared a hotel room with him before, have usually stayed in suite hotels. I am starting to have 2nd thoughts because of this. I am considering instead the ASM suite room, but my husband thinks that they are horrible and doesn’t think that sharing a room will be that bad.
I guess my question is for those who have little ones…how do you put your kids to bed and then still be able to decompress at night without hanging out in the bathroom? Do the balconies / patios have outdoor lights?
My other concern is if I will really think the Poly is worth the expense. We stayed at the Kona Village Resort in Hawaii for our honeymoon(before it was damaged by the Tsunami) and absolutely loved it. I can see that everyone on this board loves the Poly…just wondering if anyone thinks 2 rooms at a Value is better than 1 room at a Deluxe.
Thanks for the help. Need to make a decision within the next few days.
Michelle

 

[karriealex]

Yup waterfall at GCH definitely is on. I was just there a few minutes ago. I asked the kids about the waterfall on the volcano pool and the slide and they said water flow was the same as usual and it wasn't any different than when we were last here a few years ago with regards to being run down or in disrepair. They love that pool.

 

[karriealex]

Hi Everyone&this is my first post, although I have been a long time lurker. My husband, my 4 year old son & I are booked at the Poly in November with free dining. We have never shared a hotel room with him before, have usually stayed in suite hotels. I am starting to have 2nd thoughts because of this. I am considering instead the ASM suite room, but my husband thinks that they are horrible and doesnt think that sharing a room will be that bad.
I guess my question is for those who have little ones&how do you put your kids to bed and then still be able to decompress at night without hanging out in the bathroom? Do the balconies / patios have outdoor lights?
My other concern is if I will really think the Poly is worth the expense. We stayed at the Kona Village Resort in Hawaii for our honeymoon(before it was damaged by the Tsunami) and absolutely loved it. I can see that everyone on this board loves the Poly&just wondering if anyone thinks 2 rooms at a Value is better than 1 room at a Deluxe.
Thanks for the help. Need to make a decision within the next few days.
Michelle

We have always shared a room with our kids and still do now. When they were little very often they would be so busy during the day that they would absolutely drop down the minute they hit the bed. We never had an issue of trying to get them to sleep. Once asleep we watched TV with the sound lowered or sat out on the balcony or patio. No the patio's and balconies are not lit. With the suites it looks like you are all still in the same room anyway. If that is the case I would go with the Poly which is much more relaxing, has more for kids to do, and is right on the monorail line which is perfect for having a little one your child's age. I would not want to be towing a little one around on the buses. I saw how crazy crowded they got last night and I would not want to try that with a 4 year old little guy. Also I don't think you can get two rooms at a value unless you can absolutely prove there will be one adult in the second room. They will not allow a room to be rented where it's only occupant is a child.

 

[bluejasmine]

Another thing to think about is booking CL that way you can go to the lounge get a drink & a snack and relax maybe watch tv, read or look across the lagoon at GF, MK & Contemporary.. That view is breath taking!!

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

 

[DznyCrzy11]

Ok, here's a question for anyone that is currently at the Poly or has recently been there. Are they still offering bb offers and what was the offer for?

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[DISzy]

Hey experts! I am pretty sure I k ow the answer to this, but do not want to make an assumption. Is the music piped in for Holiday Wishes on the beach just like it is for Wishes? TIA!

 

[karriealex]

Ok, here's a question for anyone that is currently at the Poly or has recently been there. Are they still offering bb offers and what was the offer for?

Sent from my Galaxy SII

I am here now and yes they are offering BB offers. The offer is 35% at deluxe villas and deluxe's and 30% at moderates valid 8/4-10/5/13, 10/20-11/21/13, 11/17-11/23/12, 11/30-12/4/12, 12/15-12/19/13

 

[karriealex]

Hey experts! I am pretty sure I k ow the answer to this, but do not want to make an assumption. Is the music piped in for Holiday Wishes on the beach just like it is for Wishes? TIA!

Yup it sure is.

 

[karriealex]

Another thing to think about is booking CL that way you can go to the lounge get a drink & a snack and relax maybe watch tv, read or look across the lagoon at GF, MK & Contemporary.. That view is breath taking!!

Sept 2013 Poly, 2012 Disney Fantasy, BC CL, GF CL, POR, 2011 Poly CL, CR, Poly CL, AKL, 2010 Poly CL, ASMu 2009, SSR 2008, Pop 2006, POR , Asmo 2005, Asmo 2003, offsite 2000, 1999,1989, Poly 1980, offsite 1979

I have to totally agree with this. With a discount and paying for food OOP it is about the same as he room with the free dining plan. I have also heard people say the dining plan really wasn't worth it because there is too much food on the plan and they would have been better off to get the room discount and pay for eating.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

I am here now and yes they are offering BB offers. The offer is 35% at deluxe villas and deluxe's and 30% at moderates valid 8/4-10/5/13, 10/20-11/21/13, 11/17-11/23/12, 11/30-12/4/12, 12/15-12/19/13

Awesome!!! Hopefully they are still offering that same bb offer when we are there in 4 wks and hopefully it will cover the dates we'll be there next year!!

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[bluejasmine]

Hello everybody

We'll be staying at Poly Sept 18-21 for the first time! We will be then moving on to BC for two nights. Short last minute trip as we will be visiting again in December (GF/AKL).

So I received a call today from Disney asking if I wanted to go from Poly (standard view) to GF (lagoon view). I asked her if there was some issues like the pool for instance. This is the first thing that popped into my mind just because that is why we booked poly. I also had read previously that there might be a pool closure so I was worried. She said it wasn't the pool and didn't really know why they were offering me an upgrade. Obviously they are not going to move people because of a pool , felt a little dumb about mentioning it. I'm guessing it's just overbooked?

Anybody else receive this call?

Sorry for interrupting the previous lively discussion

I got a bit concerned and called Poly IPO.. If there was gonna be construction around the pools or GCH I was going to be willing to change but what I was told was an overbooking in GV rooms.. So no construction other than the normal rehab on the long houses..

 

[BabyFu18]

Hey guys, anyone know if they sell small things at any of the shops in the resort like chips, crackers, bread, etc. I know I've seen items like that at the BWI/BWV in their gift shop but that might just be because of the villas, was wondering if the Poly had a shop that might sell similar items.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

I am here now and yes they are offering BB offers. The offer is 35% at deluxe villas and deluxe's and 30% at moderates valid 8/4-10/5/13, 10/20-11/21/13, 11/17-11/23/12, 11/30-12/4/12, 12/15-12/19/13

Oh, I just realized the dates are until the end of this year. So I guess they are not offering bb ofers for the next year like they have done in the past?

Hey guys, anyone know if they sell small things at any of the shops in the resort like chips, crackers, bread, etc. I know I've seen items like that at the BWI/BWV in their gift shop but that might just be because of the villas, was wondering if the Poly had a shop that might sell similar items.

Yes, they have items like that in the gift shop on the 2nd floor of the GCH.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[mickeynut1]

Can't contain my excitement! We will be at the Poly for the first time 2 weeks from today!

You're going to love the Poly .

For us it's:
1-Fantastic CM's
2-location, location, location-resort design The resort is so easy to get around.
3- location, location, location of the Poly vs theme parks. It's so easy to hop on the monorail to get to MK. A quick walk to the TTC can get you to EPCOT quickly or take a bus to AK or DS. We like the bus service, even though it shares with GF and/or CR, it was quick and easy. At the YC this last summer, the buses were horrible. They did not come quickly and then the YC buses to to BC, Swan, Dolphin and BW before going to your destination. This added so much time and took so long, we ended up taking a cab several times.
4- Size of the rooms. We have two teens and space is important. Plus each room has a daybed. This helps our family a lot. We can request something else besides a daybed, as it's standard.
5-Theme. The Poly is gorgeous and themed so beautifully. We spend a lot of time exploring the resort and enjoying the GCH and lounges
6-Wishes! We do like Wishes, but do not enjoy the pushing and crowding to see Wishes at MK. At the Poly, we watched Wishes from the pool, the beach, the GCH and this time we will watch from the CL lounge.
7-Food options. The Poly has great eateries, but you can also take the monorail and eat at CR or GF. So many great places to eat on the monorail line.
8-We were there in 2010, so it's been a while but our room was spotless. We never saw any issues with carpeting, mousekeeping, GCH or the pool looking rundown. We had wonderful mousekeeping.

We are still here we leave Friday after some glitches at check in and a room issue things are going well. We are in Tokelau. I called and booked and I requested adjoining rooms with my inlaws then decided if we had ground floor patio we didn't really need adjoining rooms I must have called 4 times to change it an make sure it was changed. I then requested Niue since mil can't walk far with Samoa second. We were given Tokelau with adjoining rooms that request never came off even though I was assured it was. I would make sure before you book you know what you want because for us that was set in stone and Even though I was told it was changed it never was and that's why I didn't get my change request longhouse. Our fridge works great also. We are also close to the buses in Tokelau and not far from gch we face the quiet pool which my older kids enjoy they haven't even wanted to go to the other pool it is noisy and crowded with little kids and they are 16 & 13 so they like the quiet pool

I'm sorry about the glitches at check in and with reservations and your room requests, but I'm glad you're having a nice time .

Yes, a huge draw to the Poly for us is location. It's so nice watching Wishes from the beach, if you just want to relax instead of dealing with the crowds. Then there is the monorail. We can hop on, one stop at the GF, next stop the MK. Also, when going to EPCOT we take the short walk to TTC and catch the EPCOT monorail. I love taking the boat from MK to the Poly at night. Then there is the resort music. What can I say except the music combined with the atmosphere transports you to the Polynesian Islands. All the CM's and Mousekeepers that we have encountered have been friendly and always greet us with Aloha!


I'm glad you mentioned the buses at the EPCOT resorts. I've been tossing around the idea of staying at BC or WL next year, I know not the Poly!!! I would like to try another one of the deluxe resorts out. I've been leaning towards WL and now even more so after hearing how the bus system at BC works.

I'm also excited to see all the changes!!! I can't wait to see the refurbished rooms in person.

I agree with everything you said about the Poly . We love staying in the MK area and while we've had great stays at the GF and WL, the Poly is just so amazing that it tops all of the other resorts (for us, at least ). We aren't going until December, but I also am very excited to see the refurbed rooms. I am one of the few who liked the old rooms, but the new rooms look very nice .

We've stayed at the BC and while we loved the resort, the bus transportation was horrendous. We didn't by any means let it ruin our trip, but the buses were shared among all 5 resorts, with most of them being full with standing room only by the time they got to the BC . Our stay was quite awhile ago (December 2003), but I have read many recent reports that mirror our experience, so I see it's still happening. With that said, the Epcot resort area is beautiful and you can't beat being within walking distance to Epcot and DHS, but the bus transportation can be hit or miss.

We also were so terribly unimpressed with the busing at the Epcot resorts. We stayed at BWI last year and while I loved the actual resort, and the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS is amazing, the busing everywhere else was just terrible. Having to share with BC, YC, Swan and Dolphin...they are just trying to cram too many people from too many resorts on the buses. Not to mention all the stops. It would take forever to get to AK, MK, or DTD just because the bus had to stop so many times. It is the #1 reason we probably won't ever stay at an Epcot resort again--my DH hated that aspect so much.

Even though AKL is kind of remote, we found the bus service there better. Jambo only shares with Kidani and with the exception of one time...I can't remember where we were going, but we stopped at a water park. Anyway, every other time the route was direct and we weren't actually on the bus very long. Almost never more than 15 minutes.

A lot of people post that the buses at the Epcot resorts aren't bad at all and that they are only shared between BC & YC and then BWI/Swan/Dolphin, but I think they are hit or miss. As I posted above, our stay was 10 years ago and we experienced the same thing you did.

I feel the same as you about the transportation at AKL. AKL is out away from everything, but we found the buses to be great. The nice thing about it is that since the buses only go to Kidani and AKL, there's no sharing with any other resort(s) .

Hey all. Things are going great now and we are having a great time. We were able to get our room moved up closer to the lounge which is a great help as I can walk more and I do not have to use the wheelchair most of the time. We have had some wonderful dinners and lunches and a lot of fun in the parks although the parks are a lot busier than I thought they would be.

As for things that were said about me. I thank those that stood up for me and said that what was said in my post was no different than what others have said. Why some felt the need to tear me down I don't know. I do not have any sense of entitlement as the poster seems to think she has because she fought in Iraq, nor was I asking for sympathy because of the wheelchair. Also my grammar, writing style, and spelling are all checked before I post so if it takes a certain person three times of reading it ummmm then who has the problem?? Oh and also I did pay for CL level garden view a fact that the poster who ripped me apart didn't seem to "get". I am not going to bring this up again and any further reports will just be about our trip but I felt the need to respond to what was done and clear up a few things. What was done hurt, to the point of crying, and was not fair or nice in the least bit.

I hope to get a few pictures up. I just have to figure out how to do it. If anyone knows could you PM me the directions? Please.

Today we doing a resort day. We are just going to hang around, rest, and have a good time. The kids want to do a couple of little pin things that they have going here today. It is so awesome to see my boys both enjoying something and helping each other out. I haven't quite seen this before. They love each other dearly but I don't think I have seen this level of unity before. I think dh and I are going to go out on the beach and cuddle in a hammock. We did have some alone time the other day when we let the kids go to MK by themselves, which was a first for us. The boys did exactly what they wanted to do. Dh and I had some quiet alone time and had a really nice lunch together at Kona. When we are at home alone time is at a premium and it was nice to be able to take some while we are here. At home we have only just begun to do date nights. Our kids are 19 and 15 but both are ADHD and getting them to cooperate with each other and get along has been difficult up till now. We are planning monthly date nights now. We have a restaurant we love to go to. Monthly I will just pick up a gift certificate for it so we are always ready to go and we will always have the money on hand to do it.

This trip has been a series of firsts for us. All good firsts, all growth firsts. It is a vacation I will not soon forget. Yep we had a rough beginning but I wouldn't trade this vacation for all the money in the world.

I'm glad things have turned around and you are having a good time . The Poly is a great resort for some down time. We loved relaxing by the pool and the hammocks were great for taking a nap while listening to the boat whistles as the boats went back and forth to MK . Hope you are enjoying your relaxing resort day .

I found out something today by talking with staff. The reason the volcano pool rehab was shelved is because they are not completely sure what is happening with DVC. Because of the possibility of the quiet pool being effected they don't want to take down the volcano pool until everything is set. From what I am hearing a lot of what we are hearing is true and so is the confusion on the final plans. I was told to keep my ears open and that they should have a final plan within the next couple of months.

Thanks for this information .

I also talked to this lovely man named Ryan in the lobby about DVC. We started actually talking about something else to start and then he asked me about DVC. He was really nice, very sweet, and definitely not pushy at all. We have an appt at 3 to talk with DVC about becoming members. Ryan took the time to get to know me and my family before anything was even mentioned about DVC. In fact I was the one who brought it up because I thought he was the DVC rep and was kinda surprised he wasn't trying to "sell" me on it.

Off to get a Dole Whip!

Hope your DVC appointment goes well .

Another thing to think about is booking CL that way you can go to the lounge get a drink & a snack and relax maybe watch tv, read or look across the lagoon at GF, MK & Contemporary.. That view is breath taking!!

I can't wait to see this gorgeous view in December .

 

[Tikiman]

I got a bit concerned and called Poly IPO.. If there was gonna be construction around the pools or GCH I was going to be willing to change but what I was told was an overbooking in GV rooms.. So no construction other than the normal rehab on the long houses..

It seems to me that IPO has not been given the current information yet (not their fault). Often the plans that are being made outside the resort staff don’t get communicated to them right away and I know they get frustrated with this. I agree that I don’t see pool work going on or work to the GCH this year but all indications are that work will start around the lagoon and beach and possibly on Tahiti and Rapa Nui.

The reason I don’t believe they have current information is because if they are saying that September will only be having the normal longhouse renovation then we already know Tahiti plans have changed because it should have been closed July 14 and it is still open. They have been right on target with closing every other longhouse so to me that indicates that the info I was told about Tahiti not getting the new room is correct. I think once we get closer to September IPO will have some updated information because they are good about trying to get the right answers for guests. Its not their fault if they are not given the current info.

I still don’t think you have a reason to be too concerned. I don’t see the construction being much more of a problem than the current work going on now unless there is a lot of equipment out on the beach for the lagoon work to be done.

Also the report that the pool work is on hold indefinitely is much different than what I was told the recreation department had on their schedule which was for it to close in January. Im sure that date can change as it has twice already but for now they believe it will close January.

 

[mommyrosa2]

Just wanted to say hello and say that I've been reading & gathering as much information on the Poly as I can both on this thread and other threads/sites as we are looking to book a room at the Poly in August of next year. This is the "only" resort my youngest DD wants to stay at for her sweet 16 next summer and I'm "hoping" we'll get to make it a reality for her since she NEVER asks for anything (plus I'm not going to lie, I too have always wanted to stay at this resort ). I did mention the refurb and closures and asked her to pick an alternate resort just in case and she disappointedly told me she didn't have an alternate . So, my plan will be to book an Aug 2014 BB (if there's one in a couple of weeks) and I'll continue to monitor the whole Poly construction situation. Is it bad that I'm already planning a trip next year and this year's trip hasn't happened yet?

 

[mickeynut1]

Just wanted to say hello and say that I've been reading & gathering as much information on the Poly as I can both on this thread and other threads/sites as we are looking to book a room at the Poly in August of next year. This is the "only" resort my youngest DD wants to stay at for her sweet 16 next summer and I'm "hoping" we'll get to make it a reality for her since she NEVER asks for anything (plus I'm not going to lie, I too have always wanted to stay at this resort ). I did mention the refurb and closures and asked her to pick an alternate resort just in case and she disappointedly told me she didn't have an alternate . So, my plan will be to book an Aug 2014 BB (if there's one in a couple of weeks) and I'll continue to monitor the whole Poly construction situation. Is it bad that I'm already planning a trip next year and this year's trip hasn't happened yet?

I don't think it's bad at all......but then I hadn't yet booked our WDW stays for this December and I was already pricing out resorts and trying to decide where to stay next year .

The Poly is an awesome resort and I personally would stay there even with construction. Now if the volcano pool or GCH was closed, that would be a deal breaker for me as the volcano pool is our favorite pool on property and I love walking through the GCH and listening to the waterfall . But construction wouldn't bother me. Good luck and happy planning for next year .