Talk to me about the Polynesian

[autismgoesdisney]

I think we are going to stay there for our August 2012 trip! I am so excited. We got a pretty good deal, and since our 10 year anniversary is coming up, I think we are going to call it our "anniversary" trip....and make the splurge!

We would stay in a regular room, no upgrades for us. We would have our 3 children, ages 8, 6 and 4. I guess they give you a cot for the 5th person?

What's great about the resort? We've been there for dinner, but never saw the beach or anything....any and all tips would be appreciated

THANK YOU!


Oh yeah and pictures would be extra awesome!

Oh yeah lastly what restaurants do you recommend? We get to book our restaurants SOON!!!!!!

 

[MinniesYooHoo]

Hey there! I will be staying at the Poly for the first time in August too, so I won't really be able to answer any of your questions. But I can comment on the 5th person issue. The couch is for the 5th person as far as I know. At least that's what we were told. The beach is absolutely magical for watching Wishes. Try your best to get your family there for at least one showing. We always make an Ohana ressie timed to end with a viewing of Wishes. There's just something magical about a beach, some fireworks, and a Lapu Lapu! See ya there!

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

Hi! We stayed at the Polynesian in July 2011. It was a great resort! The 5th person sleeps on the futon that folds down into about a twin size bed (maybe a little smaller). The garden views are great, but make sure you request an area that has a good garden view. For example, we requested the Tokelau building so we would have a view of a garden and not of another building really close. Check out tikimanpages.com to see pictures of each longhouse and maps of the resort. My favorite things about Poly were the waterslide, the Great Ceremonial House, and the location to Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and the other MK resorts. The waterslide was so cool, and it was being enjoyed by kids 3-63. I liked the atmosphere of the Polynesian. It was very relaxing but also super fun at the same time. There is no gym, spa, signature restaurant, or hot tub at the Polynesian. However, this wasn't important to us. We did eat two signatures- Narcoossees and California Grill, both a quick Monorail ride away. Something that may be a problem since we were there....DW is shutting the Monorails down at nighttime before the EMH are completed, so that may be a transportation dilemma?
Anyway, I would return to Polynesian and recommend it if you are splurging.

Aloha! and have a GREAT time, especially on that awesome volcano slide!!!

 

[tink70]

We did the exact same thing, splurged on a trip to the poly for our 10th anniversary!! (now we are planning a 20th anniv. Trip, time flies!!)
Anyway, the poly was wonderful, there are some rooms that face the castle, and at night you can see the fireworks from your room. That was one of my favorite things. There is also a water parade that goes by on the lagoon that's pretty neat. The pool is also wonderful. Honestly, I love the grounds with all the bamboo and flowers. It's like a touch of hawaii, at Disney!
Congrats
on your tenth!

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

For lots of great information, check out the Polynesian thread.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2863058&page=44
We found it really helpful before we first went there. We will also be there in August for our third Poly stay.

 

[monorailsilver]

It is our favorite place. We got engaged on a a hammock on the beach there in 1999.

When we took all 3 of our kids, our oldest slept on the couch a few nights. She was 7 then. She loved it. When we go in a few years I think I might fight her for the couch or my son will.

We do like either the balcony or the lanai this way we have that extra room outside (not much but every bit helps).

We prefer August as well. We make sure we bring breakfast with us so while dh & I are taking turns showering, the kids are eating since they tend to be slower then us. Then we head out to the park, early entry park of the day, and have lunch & return to the room for a mid day break, shower, laundry. I have tried a swim break but the last time I went my 7 yo needed a nap as did my nearly 5 yo & my 2 yo. So that took priority. And then we go back to the park for dinner/evening/when the sun is thinking about setting.

Also the parks that we have to take a bus to, we make sure we know where the TTC bus is because if that comes first we sometimes take it. The walk isn't that bad.

We have only gone to Ohana for breakfast & I wasn't impressed. We bought lunch/dinner at Captain Cooks & it was fine for us. We never ate at (can't think of the name)..the place upstairs that had the tonga toast.

The boat ride to/from the MK is great.

My kids are dying to go back to the Whispering Canyon Cafe. They keep talking about the ketsup. We always do Chef Mickey's but we mainly do counter service since we don't want to be tied down to a certain park. Check out all ears for menus.

 

[alex9179]

Congraulations! We are also staying there for our anniversaries in Oct. This will be the first time staying on site so I have no experienced info to add. We are also a family of 5 and my kids will be 8,7,and 5 when we go, so very close to yours

The couch is really a daybed, so our kids will likely take turns sleeping on it each night with the other two sharing the queen.
We plan on eating at 'Ohana one evening, even though reviews are all over the place as far as food and experience. I have heard better things about the character breakfast there, so you might consider it if the dinner items don't sound good to you.

I love that the GF is a walk or short ride away, so we'll be taking advantage of one of those restaurants for our anniversary dinner and the Neverland Club for the kids that night. We're really splurging!
I'd like to do the Spirit of Aloha show, which also gets mixed reviews, but I'm not sure the kids will like it. I know they'd like the end with the fire dancer (so would I), but not sure about the first half or if they'd stay awake for it.

I'm also looking forward to the boat transportation. It sounds like a nice way to travel to and from MK...maybe a bit quieter than the bus or monorail.

One thing I would recommend is that you take advantage of the resort and spend some down time there. I'm purposely not planning our afternoons so that we can take advantage of the pools, grounds, and general vibe if we feel like it. It's not just for sleeping
I'm also thinking about making most of our large, sit-down meals lunch so that we don't have all of our evenings tied up with ADRs. My kids are early risers, and with all of the excitement and activity I don't think they'll be able to make it through a slow meal every evening!

You'll have to post about your experience when you get back! I hope you have a wonderful time

 

[mickeynut1]

You will love the Poly. The rooms are large and the daybed serves as the extra bed. As others have said, the beach is great for watching the fireworks. We also love the volcano pool as it backs up to the beach and has a view of the castle off in the distance . Ohana is great for breakfast and dinner and Captain Cooks is one of our favorite resort CS places . Have a great trip......you are going to love the Poly .

 

[autismgoesdisney]

Congraulations! We are also staying there for our anniversaries in Oct. This will be the first time staying on site so I have no experienced info to add. We are also a family of 5 and my kids will be 8,7,and 5 when we go, so very close to yours

The couch is really a daybed, so our kids will likely take turns sleeping on it each night with the other two sharing the queen.
We plan on eating at 'Ohana one evening, even though reviews are all over the place as far as food and experience. I have heard better things about the character breakfast there, so you might consider it if the dinner items don't sound good to you.

I love that the GF is a walk or short ride away, so we'll be taking advantage of one of those restaurants for our anniversary dinner and the Neverland Club for the kids that night. We're really splurging!
I'd like to do the Spirit of Aloha show, which also gets mixed reviews, but I'm not sure the kids will like it. I know they'd like the end with the fire dancer (so would I), but not sure about the first half or if they'd stay awake for it.

I'm also looking forward to the boat transportation. It sounds like a nice way to travel to and from MK...maybe a bit quieter than the bus or monorail.

One thing I would recommend is that you take advantage of the resort and spend some down time there. I'm purposely not planning our afternoons so that we can take advantage of the pools, grounds, and general vibe if we feel like it. It's not just for sleeping
I'm also thinking about making most of our large, sit-down meals lunch so that we don't have all of our evenings tied up with ADRs. My kids are early risers, and with all of the excitement and activity I don't think they'll be able to make it through a slow meal every evening!

You'll have to post about your experience when you get back! I hope you have a wonderful time

Just wanted to share that we are also an Adoptive Family. Our third beautiful baby was born in South Korea! I love that you are celebrating your adoption anniversary AND wedding anniversary! Wonderful

 

[padawans]

I think we are going to stay there for our August 2012 trip! I am so excited. We got a pretty good deal, and since our 10 year anniversary is coming up, I think we are going to call it our "anniversary" trip....and make the splurge!

We would stay in a regular room, no upgrades for us. We would have our 3 children, ages 8, 6 and 4. I guess they give you a cot for the 5th person?

What's great about the resort? We've been there for dinner, but never saw the beach or anything....any and all tips would be appreciated

THANK YOU!


Oh yeah and pictures would be extra awesome!

Oh yeah lastly what restaurants do you recommend? We get to book our restaurants SOON!!!!!!

I have stayed there three times. Its my favorite resort. If you have any specific questions ask away.

 

[YankeePrincess]

I love the Poly. It is like you are in Hawaii. There are no bad views either. The landscaping is so beautiful that even a garden view is perfect! It is my favorite resort. Plus, Ohana and Kona Cafe are great and right there at the resort.

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

We love the Poly.

The rooms are huge! Kona Cafe is a great place for breakfast. We eat there twice on our trips of more than 4 nights. You can use the gym at the Grand Floridian if you need to work out. Or you can jog the Poly paths.

I recommend that you rise early one morning and just stroll around. It is so beautiful walking the grounds early morning. It's truly like a tropical paradise. You could almost forget you were at Disney.

If you will be spending most of your time in the Magic Kingdom I would request a building next to the Grand Ceremonial House-we liked Raratonga. It was mere steps from the GCH. We got a room facing the monorail and parking lot but really couldn't see much of the parking lot because of the trees. It was perfect!

My family normally likes to spend most of our time at Epcot so for a Garden View room I would request Tahiti, Rapa Nui-facing Tahiti or Tokelau. The benefits of these three are the double sinks and slightly larger rooms.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

You will love the Polynesian! With 3 kids and monorail you'll find it so convenient. The rooms are largest of all resorts. The peace & serenity along with excitement of the resort makes it great for families. So friendly!!

We stayed there our first trip in 2000 when my girls were 9 & 6. We all got hooked. we did a few split stays but the Polynesian is home to us.

 

[GrimGrinninGhost]

Staying there, for the first time, in April with 3 children as well. As others have said, the couch folds out into a bed and the extra square footage the rooms have (quite a bit more than POR and other moderate resorts) should keep it from getting too crowded. I realize I've never stayed there, but my wife and I did a lot of homework on this before choosing the resort (also got a great deal). Having three children, I think you'll probably find the resort's easy monorail access to be the biggest bonus; that's what made our final decision to stay there.

 

[alex9179]

Just wanted to share that we are also an Adoptive Family. Our third beautiful baby was born in South Korea! I love that you are celebrating your adoption anniversary AND wedding anniversary! Wonderful

Thank you very much! Our journey didn't start out with the intention of becoming their parents, but we are so lucky to have them as our children and this vacation is our gift to them...a little bit for us, too!

You and I are both very blessed!