Poly Club Level with 6 kids and VIP tour!!

[dorospin]

We are leaving tomorrow for the Polynesian! We have never stayed at the Poly!

Our group.. me, DH, Nana and Papa, and our kids ages 13, 12, 11, 9, 7, and 1! We will be in two rooms theme park view Club Level.

Our plan..

Monday - My parents are flying with three of the kids. They are taking the Magical Express because my mom loves it. We are flying in with the other three kids and taking a town car because my husband refuses to take the "tragical" express. We are having a scooter and stroller delivered from Walker's Mobility. Also using Garden Grocer.. mainly for baby items so I didn't have to pack a ton of diapers etc. Also.. I ordered a privacy screen from Amazon and had it delivered to the Poly.. this is so hopefully the baby will actually go to sleep at night even though there are other people in the room with her. Not sure how this is going to work.. we will see. MK at night for a little bit just to be there.

Tuesday - Our 1st day of our VIP Tour! We have never done the VIP tour but are super excited about it! We will be touring the MK on Tuesday afternoon, ending with the MSEP! Before the tour, we will be at O'Hana for a late character breakfast.

Wednesday - Our 2nd day of the VIP tour! We will be touring Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We will start the day with the Hollywood and Vine Play and Dine breakfast so our youngest can see the Disney Jr characters. We will end the tour at Epcot in the afternoon and take the night off.

Thursday - Blizzard Beach. We rented a cabana.. could only pre-book for 6, but you can have up to 10 people.. just have to pay for the extra people when you check in. Break. Then MK for Be Our Guest.

Friday - Maybe Animal Kingdom, maybe just stay at the Poly all day and swim! My vote is definitely to just relax since it will be so hot, and because there are only 3 things we like to do at AK (FOTLK, Everest, and Safari).. but my mom is definitely a "fill every moment" type of person so probably some of us will go and some will not. Narcooses for dinner. My parents ate here like 5 years ago and this was their only food request. Maybe MK after.

Saturday - Leave


The only time we will need transportation other than the VIP tour van or the monorail will be going to Hollywood Studios Wed morning, Blizzard Beach, and possibly AK Friday if we go. My parents will be taking the Disney buses because they like them.. DH insists on getting a cab. This comes from two years ago, staying at Yacht Club, the one and only time he ever took a Disney bus. We were packed onto the bus, standing room only.. and DH was standing and rode the entire time with a lady resting her entire weight on him, to the point her melting sunscreen and hairspray rubbed off onto his skin. He said never again. I would be fine with trying again but oh well.

Should be interesting trip!!!

 

[PinkyBean]

Wowser! This sounds like all your organizational skills will be in use....soon. We stayed at the Poly, Club level 3 years ago and had the most marvelous time. We were spoiled by the time we left. I really hope you write a trip report because this sounds like a hoot!

 

[dorospin]

Thanks PinkyBean! I will definitely report back

 

[buteraa]

Sounds wonderful! Can't wait to hear all about it. Enjoy!

 

[catmegs]

sounds like a dream trip- can't wait to read it!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I would love to hear about your trip! It sounds amazing! The VIP tours sound so awesome so I'd love to hear about your experience!

 

[MalkaR]

I'm so excited to read about your experiences!

 

[cajunfan]

Can I come with you all? LOL! Sounds AMAZING! Definitely take lots of pictures and document everything and come back and share with us! I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[dorospin]

I wanted to write a trip report because when I was researching the VIP tours, I couldn't find many reviews.

First.. we arrived at the Polynesian on Monday.

My parents took the Magical Express which was fine.. bags arrived around 10pm. We took a car from Ultimate Town Cars and that was also fine.

One thing about Polynesian Club Level.. they are "Testing" NOT greeting club level guests at the front of the resort. So now you just wait in the regular check in line, check in, and then they walk you to Hawaii. This is different than the other club levels we've stayed at, where you are taken immediately to the Club Level floor/building and check in there. We were told the Poly is testing this new procedure.

We had requested 3 floor (because of the balcony). My parents were given a 3 floor room, but we were given the 2nd floor (no balcony) but told we could move the next day (we didn't because was too much with all of the baby's gear). The rooms at the Polynesian were nice but the main parts of the building are definitely showing their age. We had theme park view rooms and watched wishes from our room every night. Not having a balcony wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be. We could still see Wishes fine.

The club level at the Poly.. was honestly a disappointment. We still say Boardwalk is our favorite Club Level. I don't know if its because Poly Club level has a whole building to service as opposed to just a floor.. but it seemed like every time we went to get food, there was hardly anything left and they were slow to refill. There is NO bottled water to be had here. I knew this going in, so I ordered a few cases from Garden Grocer in advance, but it was still kind of amazing that you are paying that much and they can't give you a bottle of water. At the Boardwalk Club level, its available upon request. The staff was fine, but again just did not compare in any way to our experiences elsewhere. Also we noticed that guests from other buildings in the resort were frequently just walking into Hawaii and going up to the club lounge. One night right as Wishes was starting, my husband and I were in the lounge and out of nowhere about 20 people who were watching on the beach came storming up the stairs to the lounge and grabbed everything they could carrying - fruit, sodas, whatever was out, and then went running back out of the building. Even though the building has key card access, its almost always open because of the number of people coming and going at any given time.

Pools..
The kids enjoyed the Volcano pool. Some days it was crowded than others, but we never had an issue finding a chair. We really enjoyed the Oasis pool. The Oasis bar and grill was good and we loved being able to order from our chairs at the pool. The only thing about the Oasis pool is that frequently people would come to down in the morning at like 7am and leave towels and random stuff on the tables.. and leave them there all day.. so sometimes there were no chairs here. One down side with the pools here, it seemed like a lot of people not staying at the Poly were using the pools. A lot of people with no magic bands at all.. just asking people to open the gates for them.

Two of the kids went to Lilo's Playhouse one night and really enjoyed it.

 

[dorospin]

VIP Tour...

Tuesday our VIP Tour started at 2pm. This is because there is a 7 hour minimum and we were ending with the Main Street Electrical Parade. Tuesday morning we were at the pool at the Poly. Ate late brunch at Ohana, and then met our guide in the Poly lobby at 2pm. We never do 7 hours straight in a park.. even in cooler times of the year, so I was worried about everyone would hold up.

All 10 of us fit into one van. Our tour guide, Aaron, gave the baby a Minnie Mouse plush and had a car seat for her in the van. Our first day was going to be all Magic Kingdom. Being August.. it was HOT. We parked "behind the scenes" at Tomorrowland. When we got out of the van, there were a few staff members waiting with cold water and snacks. Before the tour started, I gave Aaron a list of things we hoped to do. In hindsight, my list was way too long and I wish he would've said.. um pick half of this. But, he was very nice and said no problem. We started at about 2:30 at Buzz Lightyear and continued in a half circle around the back of the park.

We went into the Fastpass line at every attraction. We did not at any time go to the front of the fast pass line, we just got into the fastpass line. The rides went really quickly this way. We just went from one to the next, whoever wanted to ride went with Aaron into the fastpass line. If we wanted to do something twice, we did. We did several character meets. By the time we got finished with Tomorrowland, FantasyLand, and Frontier Land, we were all melting from the heat. Some reviews of the VIP tours I've read mention being driven from "lands" behind the scenes. This did not happen with us. We came in from behind the scenes at the start, but that was it. We walked the rest of the day - but because we had unlimited fastpasses, we did not have to cross back so I'm sure this did save some walking.

We wanted to get a quick service dinner to "save tour time". In hindsight.. a table service meal probably would've been faster. We went to Columbia Harbor House on Aaron's suggestion. When it comes to food.. there is no "VIP Tour" perk. You stand in the same lines, hunt for tables like everyone else. Aaron ordered his own food and sat with us. After we ate, we continued on to Haunted Mansion and continued to tour that side of the Magic Kingdom. At this time, my parents.. ages 66 and 68, were pretty much done. We were all really hot and exhausted. Aaron told us we had some time before we needed to be at the parade viewing area, and suggested we go on Jungle Cruise since it was nearby, but everyone was totally ready to just sit down.

We went to the parade viewing area, which was the roped off section on top of the train station. There is no seating up there, so I asked for wheelchairs for my parents to sit in while watching the parade. We had planned to go to the Wishes Dessert Party (it was pre-paid) but I knew at that point that we weren't going to make it. Aaron was able to cancel it and get us a full refund which was really nice. Aaron left us as the parade started and we took the boat back to the Poly right after the parade.

We crashed out.. had 8am reservation at Hollywood and Vine the next morning to start off our 2nd day of the VIP tour. I had originally planned a 10am start on the second day, but the tour coordinator suggested an early morning because of the heat. At the end of VIP tour day 1.. I was wondering if we'd even make it to day 2. We had done almost everything at the MK (excluding shows).. ridden pretty much everything, met all of the FP+ characters.. and were exhausted.

Day 2..
We were up at 6:30am. Took a cab to Hollywood Studios. We went straight to Hollywood and Vine for 8am reservation. We really only went here for the baby because she loves Disney Jr. The breakfast buffet was fine and kids had good time.

A met us right outside at 9:15am. We rode RocknRoller Coast 2x and Toy Story Mania 2x before heading out a back exit and going to Epcot.

Once in Epcot.. we parked behind Soarin. Rode Soarin, Living with Land, Nemo, Character Spot, TestTrack, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Frozen, Met Anna and Elsa. We were then looking for food. Had planned a quick service lunch again. Again.. should've gone table service. Aaron suggested the quick service in Mexico since we were nearby in Norway. There were no tables available in the covered section. Because it was 2:30.. the inside seating was no longer available. Aaron looked for tables while we ordered. We were eventually able to get 2 tables but it took about 30 minutes. We ate and then had some time left. The kids wanted to ride Test Track again so we did. Aaron then took us back to the Poly.

The VIP Tour brochure states "guides cannot accept tips." However, we asked Aaron if he could accept a tip and he said yes. So, we did tip. We were back at the Poly at 4ish. We spent the rest of the night out by the pool.


Overall thoughts on the VIP tour..

There is a 10 person max and 7 hour minimum. They charge per hour. Yes it is expensive.. but if you have 10 people it comes out to like $110 per day/person. So I guess two families could combine and save money that way.

Anyways, this is a very efficient way to tour. In 2 7 hour days, we saw / did everything we wanted to in MK, Epcot, Hollywood Studios. We would have enjoyed it more if it wouldn't have been so hot.. but that is probably everyone in August. Aaron was very knowledgeable.. he's been doing the tours for 7 years. He rode with us, talked with the kids, and was very friendly. The second day was "Easier" on our bodies - I think because we started first thing in the morning as opposed to starting in the afternoon. If we ever do it again, I will start both days in the morning and not include the parade as part of the tour.

Despite what some people think.. you NEVER go to the front of the line. You also get no special treatment as far as lines for food, seating for eating, etc. The main perk is you can use the fastpass lines for whatever you want and however many times you want. The transportation to and in between parks is nice because you come in the back entrance and don't have to go through the bag checks, wait in line to get in etc. The tour guide has a lot of inside info that is interesting.

Would we do it again.. absolutely if we take all 10 people again. Trying to plan with 3 FP+ a day with 10 people who all like different things is difficult.. this definitely made it a lot easier.

If anyone has any more specific questions about the tour just let me know. Going to continue on with the rest of our trip..

 

[dorospin]

After our second tour day.. we got back to the Poly at 4ish. We went to the Oasis pool and a cabana was open. We swam and relaxed.. ordered dinner from the pool bar at about 7. Food was good. The Oasis pool had maybe two other families there on this night and we could hear the drums from the Luau show nearby. Was a nice night.

Thursday morning we got a cab at 9:30 to go to Blizzard Beach. We had pre-rented a "Polar Patio" (cabana). We requested to be near the kids' area and were given Patio #4 which turned out to be a great location. DH and I went in the lazy river with the baby while the kids were going down slides and my parents were at the cabana. This is the only thing we did because the baby fell asleep and we just hung out at the cabana with my parents while the kids went around to slides.

The Polar Patio was great.. unlimited bottled water, unlimited towels, and lady who brought us lunch and just checked in to see if we need anything. We also got mugs for everyone to use while we were there.

Blizzard Beach.. they really need to do something about the lines here. My kids were in line for one of the slides at 10:20 and waited for 40 minutes. Seems like they could put in FP+ or something. But waiting that long for a water slide when you get there before opening.. is ridiculous. We ended up leaving at 1pm after lunch because of a storm. The kids liked it, but said next time they'd just stay at the resort pool. So mixed review I guess.

We went to the Magic Kingdom at 5:30 for dinner at Be Our Guest. We were seated in the study room. Everyone liked their food and enjoyed it although the kids all missed being in one of the other rooms.. the study is definitely the least "magical." Then, my parents headed back to the Poly and we took the kids to ride Thunder Mountain, Space, and something else I can't remember with FP. They danced at the "Incredibles Dance Party" beside Space for awhile and then we took the monorail back.

Friday..
My parents ended up not going to the Animal Kingdom but instead going back to Epcot to try to "Behind the Seeds" tour. They really enjoyed it because they are avid gardeners. The rest of us had a pool day. My DH says in hindsight we should've gone to AK.. he felt like we wasted a day. I didn't feel like that at all because we had already done so much on this trip.

Friday night 2 of the kids went to Lilo's Playhouse which they loved. The rest of us went to Narcooses at the Grand Floridian. Best meal of the trip for sure. I also really like the atmosphere there.. you actually have space and its quiet. Will definitely be back. We rode the monorail around, did some shopping, then picked up the 2 kids at 10 and watched Wishes from the room.

Also.. I ordered a privacy screen from Amazon to put around the baby's pack n play. Highly recommend doing this! She went right to sleep for naps/night because she couldn't see the rest of us walking around the room. I just folded it up when she fell asleep.


Final thoughts..

Everyone had a good trip. We got to try new things and do a different type of Disney trip. Its funny when I asked the kids their favorite part of the trip.. I got.. "Lilo's Playhouse.. I wish we could've gone there every night", "the pool", "pin trading", "the water slide at the pool", and "just relaxing." Not one of the kids mentioned a ride as their favorite part. My DD7 did LOVE the new Frozen ride though.

We probably won't go back to the Poly, but it is a beautiful resort.

Best meal.. Narcooses. Best quick service.. Oasis pool bar /grill.

 

[dorospin]

Tips.. I didn't think we'd tip bc the info we were sent when we booked said they cannot accept tips. So I thought that meant they couldn't accept tips. My dad didn't know this and asked A if he could take a tip and A said yes. He said it would be under the table but that most people tip and they rely on tips. So we all kind of pulled out the cash we had on us (since we didn't expect to tip).. Came out to $80 and gave it to him. No idea what people normally tip.

we did not pay for his meal. He said Mickey takes care of that.

We could ride whatever we wanted as many times as we wanted. We rode a few things twice then moved on but he said we could spend the whole time on one ride if we wanted.

So the first day we were trying to fit in as much as possible to get our money's worth. But the effect of this is we were literally barely able to move at the end of seven hours. That night, I rewrote out our list for the second day and almost cut it in half. I wanted a more relaxing second day. Because of this the second day was much better. You can go as fast or as slow as you want. It's completely what you want to do and how fast you want to go.

you can either book the tour throug disney as part of your package or you can call the tour office directly and book there. We booked directly with the tour office. If you do it that way there is a percentage deposit due then they charge your card day of tour for balance. There is a 24h cancellation policy.

as far as planning what you're going to do - that is totally up to you. I sent a detailed list to the office two weeks prior. But you can just show up and tell the guide what you want to do. I sent a list because I didn't want six kids arguing about what to do so I wanted the guide to have the list and not ask for imput from the kids lol. So basically the only time spent deciding what to do was just me emailing them a list. They didn't give me any feedback - sort of wish they would've told me to scale down our first day. But basically whatever you say you want to do is how they plan the day.

You can book up to the day before if there is availability.

one thing though - if you want VIP seating for a parade or show you need to let the office know ASAP bc they do have limited space for the reserved sections. This is pretty much the only planning you have to do prior to. If you ask to see a parade day of, you may or may not get the Vip seating depending on space.

another thing - we did have a van that would hold a scooter bc we rented a scooter. However I was talked out of bringing it by the tour coordinator. She said so much walking would be cut out by the tour that unless my parents needed a scooter on a daily basis they likely wouldn't need one. I wish we would've brought the scooter because seven hours is just a long time to be walking when you're in your 60s.

 

[catmegs]

Just wondering how your 1 year old was on your touring days? We are looking at doing a VIP tour with our kids (8,7 and 2) and I'm worried the 2 year old will have to do a whole lot of waiting around outside rides with one of us while the older kids do the bigger rides (I'm sure they'll want to ride splash over and over!). How did you manage this?

 

[dorospin]

Catmegs - I was worried about that too but it ended up being not a big deal. We just switched off when everyone wanted to ride. The one year old was fine because whoever was sitting out with her would walk with her in stores, take pictures, watch the ducks etc. I also put some bubbles and things in my backpack for her. she had a great time with the extra attention!

 

[catmegs]

great idea with the bubbles! thanks so much for sharing your experience, like you said there's not much about vip tours. very helpful!