The *NEW* Polynesian Resort FAQ thread - *2008*

[lustergirl]

Good Morning everyone! Another monday is upon us- one day closer to the Poly!!

 

[polyforme]

Does anyone know what kind of creamer (for coffee) is available at Captain Cooks, and if I can grab some to take back to the room?

I am bringing coffee along to make in our room (mom can't function without it and I refuse to touch that Nescafe crap ever again) but we both like creamer & Splenda in it. Can I grab a handful of each for our rooms at Captain Cooks or should I bring it in our suitcase?

I didn't see any creamers you could take along. They had a creamer dispenser built into the machine but you could probably fill up a to go cup and put it in your fridge or ask for the little creamers.

 

[shyjade]

I didn't see any creamers you could take along. They had a creamer dispenser built into the machine but you could probably fill up a to go cup and put it in your fridge or ask for the little creamers.

Thanks!

 

[BootsJessie]

Does anyone know, can you call and book the bounceback after you return or does it have to be done while you are there?

 

[PNO4TE]

Good morning, everyone! 18 days and counting here.

Way back on page 214 the question was raised about the shipping for the Poly if someone wanted to send something from home. I have been paging through and cannot seem to find the response. I know that someone responded because I wrote it down "someplace safe" (and it will probably pop up on my screen as soon as I hit Post Reply). Could someone please repost the address I would need to use to ship a box from home to myself? Thanks a bunch, in advance.

ETA: TOLD YOU... I found it:

Mr. John Doe
Disney's Polynesian Resort1600 Seven Seas Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000


Hold for guest arrival 9/02/08

 

[Me&3]

Do they always have bouncebacks and what is a bounceback ? Sorry if this is a dumb (?).

 

[CJK]

Just back from the Polynesian!!!!!

Checkin:
We were there from Sept. 3rd to Sept. 7th. We had stayed at the Poly one other time and just fell in love with it. I just had to go back! We moved to the Poly on the 3rd after spending 10 days at Pop Century on the dining plan. We were not on the dining plan at the Poly, but honestly we were so full, we didn't mind (and we had the DDEE card). We checked in at 10am on the 3rd and were happy to hear that our room was ready. We were presented with anniversary pins (it was our 10th anniversary). We were happy to see that our room requests had been met (Rarotonga, 3rd floor, facing quiet pool). Our room was very nice, though not as clean as I'd like (spots all over the floor in the bathroom), but certainly nothing worth complaining about.

Food:
We ate at Captain Cook's for breakfast and lunch, Kona Cafe for lunch twice and 'Ohana for one dinner. The tonga toast at Captain Cook's was wonderful as always!! Our lunch at CC was nothing out of the ordinary - not bad, just not great, although I enjoyed my Dole whip for dessert! I had the scrumptious island sandwich at Kona Cafe which has a delightful mango curry mayo. I liked it so much, that I had it again on our last day! Dh ordered something different for both Kona Cafe lunches and didn't like anything he ordered. It was too bad considering I loved my meal so much. 'Ohana was okay, but I don't think we'll eat there again for a while. I always feel so full afterwards, yet I'm not crazy about the food choices (especially now that there's no more potatoes). However, we had two 'cousins' serving us and they were just fabulous! I love watching the entertainment, so a good time was still had.

I just love sitting on our balcony, sipping a glass of wine and taking in the beautiful view and activity around the quiet pool. We had a wonderful time, but it wasn't as magical as our last trip. Dh was annoyed at the little inconveniences (ie. water fountain not working at quiet pool, TV didn't work as well as at Pop Century and the water in the room tasted terrible so having coffee/tea with it was awful). Normally he'd never complain about these things, but it was strange coming from a value to a deluxe and finding that some things were actually better at the value hotel.

That said......I'm still a Poly fan! I'm a runner, so I just love running the path to the Grand Floridian, watching the water parade and fireworks from the beach, and enjoying the torch lit pathways throughout the resort at night. *sigh* We went to the Sept. 5th Halloween party and it sure was nice to be able to quickly take the monorail back to the Polynesian!

It's hard coming back to reality after the Polynesian! I can still hear the soft Hawaiian music playing by the pool while we basked in the Florida sun! Ahhh memories!!!

I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can help anyone.

 

[John's Mom]

polyforme,

Would you mind commenting further about your Jiko experience? Jiko is our favorite restaurant at WDW.

 

[BootsJessie]

Don't get me wrong from the title, the Poly was great!!! It's the being back at work that sucks

We had an amazing time! We were there from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6.

We had an early flight on the 31st and got to the Poly around 11:30am and were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready! We stayed GV CL and the only request I had made prior was for either a ground floor, for the patio, or a 3rd floor room, for the balcony. We were assigned a ground floor room looking out to the quiet pool so I was happy.
The lounge was great for the continental breakfasts, the snacks, the pop, water, juice, beer, wine, liquors ..... I could go on and on. We were on the dining plan too and never went hungry! I was surprised at how much food you got even at the counter service meals.
We had ordered from Garden Grocer only the week before we arrived and everything showed up the day we did just like I had requested.
I know there have been questions about the fridge and settings and what can fit in it. Top shelf I had some yogurts, dips, cheese. 2nd shelf I put a 3L bottle of wine on it's side and about 6 cans of beer. Bottom shelf some water and cans of pop in the door. As I had read on this thread you have to leave the cupboard doors open or it heats up too much and doesn't keep things cold. One day MouseKeeping had closed the doors and this happened. Other than that I left them open and everything was kept very cold. One beer even had slush in it.
Ate at Captain Cooks a few times. Loved the Dole Whip! The burgers were great! and tried the salad, the adult grilled cheese, the flatbread pizza. Did the character breakfast at Ohanas which the kids loved and went to the Luah which was a lot of fun. Did quite a few character meals, the kids just loved the characters coming up to the table and a few had parades around the restaurant that the kids could join in, all with a lot of food too!
I was amazed at how "kid friendly" Disney is compared to other parks. We went to all 4 parks and Blizzard Beach and there were only 2 rides that my DS6 couldn't go on as you had to be over 48" tall. Everything else the entire family could go on together.

Wow, so much info to share and give back. I have more and will update but unfortunately, work calls.

Any questions, I'd love to help if I can.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Just back from the Polynesian!!!!!

Checkin:
We were there from Sept. 3rd to Sept. 7th. We had stayed at the Poly one other time and just fell in love with it. I just had to go back! We moved to the Poly on the 3rd after spending 10 days at Pop Century on the dining plan. We were not on the dining plan at the Poly, but honestly we were so full, we didn't mind (and we had the DDEE card). We checked in at 10am on the 3rd and were happy to hear that our room was ready. We were presented with anniversary pins (it was our 10th anniversary). We were happy to see that our room requests had been met (Rarotonga, 3rd floor, facing quiet pool). Our room was very nice, though not as clean as I'd like (spots all over the floor in the bathroom), but certainly nothing worth complaining about.

Food:
We ate at Captain Cook's for breakfast and lunch, Kona Cafe for lunch twice and 'Ohana for one dinner. The tonga toast at Captain Cook's was wonderful as always!! Our lunch at CC was nothing out of the ordinary - not bad, just not great, although I enjoyed my Dole whip for dessert! I had the scrumptious island sandwich at Kona Cafe which has a delightful mango curry mayo. I liked it so much, that I had it again on our last day! Dh ordered something different for both Kona Cafe lunches and didn't like anything he ordered. It was too bad considering I loved my meal so much. 'Ohana was okay, but I don't think we'll eat there again for a while. I always feel so full afterwards, yet I'm not crazy about the food choices (especially now that there's no more potatoes). However, we had two 'cousins' serving us and they were just fabulous! I love watching the entertainment, so a good time was still had.

I just love sitting on our balcony, sipping a glass of wine and taking in the beautiful view and activity around the quiet pool. We had a wonderful time, but it wasn't as magical as our last trip. Dh was annoyed at the little inconveniences (ie. water fountain not working at quiet pool, TV didn't work as well as at Pop Century and the water in the room tasted terrible so having coffee/tea with it was awful). Normally he'd never complain about these things, but it was strange coming from a value to a deluxe and finding that some things were actually better at the value hotel.

That said......I'm still a Poly fan! I'm a runner, so I just love running the path to the Grand Floridian, watching the water parade and fireworks from the beach, and enjoying the torch lit pathways throughout the resort at night. *sigh* We went to the Sept. 5th Halloween party and it sure was nice to be able to quickly take the monorail back to the Polynesian!

It's hard coming back to reality after the Polynesian! I can still hear the soft Hawaiian music playing by the pool while we basked in the Florida sun! Ahhh memories!!!

I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can help anyone.

Thanks for posting your review.

Don't get me wrong from the title, the Poly was great!!! It's the being back at work that sucks

We had an amazing time! We were there from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6.

We had an early flight on the 31st and got to the Poly around 11:30am and were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready! We stayed GV CL and the only request I had made prior was for either a ground floor, for the patio, or a 3rd floor room, for the balcony. We were assigned a ground floor room looking out to the quiet pool so I was happy.
The lounge was great for the continental breakfasts, the snacks, the pop, water, juice, beer, wine, liquors ..... I could go on and on. We were on the dining plan too and never went hungry! I was surprised at how much food you got even at the counter service meals.
We had ordered from Garden Grocer only the week before we arrived and everything showed up the day we did just like I had requested.
I know there have been questions about the fridge and settings and what can fit in it. Top shelf I had some yogurts, dips, cheese. 2nd shelf I put a 3L bottle of wine on it's side and about 6 cans of beer. Bottom shelf some water and cans of pop in the door. As I had read on this thread you have to leave the cupboard doors open or it heats up too much and doesn't keep things cold. One day MouseKeeping had closed the doors and this happened. Other than that I left them open and everything was kept very cold. One beer even had slush in it.
Ate at Captain Cooks a few times. Loved the Dole Whip! The burgers were great! and tried the salad, the adult grilled cheese, the flatbread pizza. Did the character breakfast at Ohanas which the kids loved and went to the Luah which was a lot of fun. Did quite a few character meals, the kids just loved the characters coming up to the table and a few had parades around the restaurant that the kids could join in, all with a lot of food too!
I was amazed at how "kid friendly" Disney is compared to other parks. We went to all 4 parks and Blizzard Beach and there were only 2 rides that my DS6 couldn't go on as you had to be over 48" tall. Everything else the entire family could go on together.

Wow, so much info to share and give back. I have more and will update but unfortunately, work calls.

Any questions, I'd love to help if I can.

I agree that it's not fun having to come from WDW, however if you have another trip planned or will be planning one in the near future that is something to look forward to. Besides thanks for posting your review.

 

[JRDMAN]

Do they always have bouncebacks and what is a bounceback ? Sorry if this is a dumb (?).

I don't think it's a dumb question. I've been wondering the same thing!
What are they and how do I get one?

 

[BootsJessie]

I don't think it's a dumb question. I've been wondering the same thing!
What are they and how do I get one?

When we got to our room there was a sheet on the desk advertising savings if we booked our next trip before we left.
We didn't and now I'm wondering if I can call back and get it or if it's too late.

 

[sandym718]

I was amazed at how "kid friendly" Disney is compared to other parks. We went to all 4 parks and Blizzard Beach and there were only 2 rides that my DS6 couldn't go on as you had to be over 48" tall. Everything else the entire family could go on together.

This is my favorite thing about Disney! You can really spend quality family time together - unlike many other amusement parks where the "big" people are headed one direction, the "little" ones another. My kids are also both quite short for their age and miss out on things around here that their friends can do (water slide at the pool for example). So it was great to go to Disney where even my DD who was almost 3 at the time, could do almost everything. She esp. loved BB - all but the speed slides even tiny little her could do!!

 

[BootsJessie]

unlike many other amusement parks where the "big" people are headed one direction, the "little" ones another.

Our thoughts exactly. There were no 2 separate areas really like at almost every other park. They could do almost everything!

 

[nyyankeegirl]

When we got to our room there was a sheet on the desk advertising savings if we booked our next trip before we left.
We didn't and now I'm wondering if I can call back and get it or if it's too late.

Unfortunately it is too late. The bounceback program is to get people to book while they are there-- once you check out, it's no longer available.
Sorry! That happened to me 2 years ago. I couldn't convince DH until after we already got back home, and by then it was too late.

 

[habg1]

CJK & BootsJessie - Glad to hear your trips were great. Thanks for the quick reviews of the Poly.

 

[Picabo]

So nice to hear about the recent trips! Now......when are you able to post some pix for us??

I keep hearing about the 'cousins' at Ohana. What is this about? I haven't been yet but would love to know what the deal is!

Also, regarding bounceback...is this something everyone at Poly is given an offer for or is it random? If you go ahead and book it while you are there, can you later change your dates or if you change them, do you loose the bounceback offer? Do they normally offer bounceback for the same time you were there or is it during a different time of year? And, most important, if you book it while you're there...what happens if you need to cancel? Same cancellation policy as normal??

 

[fortheboys]

Is there a height requirement on the slide at the poly pool? My son is 43 inches with regular sneakers, so I'm hoping he'll be able to get on most things (he's 4!)

 

[disneypolybride2008]

Also, regarding bounceback...is this something everyone at Poly is given an offer for or is it random? If you go ahead and book it while you are there, can you later change your dates or if you change them, do you loose the bounceback offer? Do they normally offer bounceback for the same time you were there or is it during a different time of year? And, most important, if you book it while you're there...what happens if you need to cancel? Same cancellation policy as normal??

I would like to know also!

 

[CJK]

So nice to hear about the recent trips! Now......when are you able to post some pix for us??

I keep hearing about the 'cousins' at Ohana. What is this about? I haven't been yet but would love to know what the deal is!

Also, regarding bounceback...is this something everyone at Poly is given an offer for or is it random? If you go ahead and book it while you are there, can you later change your dates or if you change them, do you loose the bounceback offer? Do they normally offer bounceback for the same time you were there or is it during a different time of year? And, most important, if you book it while you're there...what happens if you need to cancel? Same cancellation policy as normal??

Hopefully I can help you a little bit! By 'cousins', we mean the waiters/waitresses at 'ohana. In order to make us feel like family, everyone refers to each other as cousins.

As for bounceback, if it works the same as last year (and so far it is), you can book now and CAN make changes as necessary. For free dining this year, we booked it LAST year. In the past year, we had to change our reservation 3 or 4 times and had no trouble! When you stay at a Disney hotel during the special time period (in this case it's late August/September), you had the opportunity to book a trip for next late August/September). We just phoned the number listed on the paper in our room and we're all set for 2009. If you have to cancel, I'm sure you're fine because it seems to follow the same cancellation policy. HTH! Forgot to add that it seems to be for all (or at least most) WDW hotels from the values all the way up to the deluxe hotels.