ALOHA! The Polynesian Resort Information Thread: Summer 2011 Edition!

[SoScary'09]

Just got back on Saturday, and it's back to work and the real world. Eight days at the Poly really flew by!

While we were there workers were installing new safety ropes on the marina and around the front of Tuvalu. Guess maybe they've had people falling in? I'll post a couple photos I took once I can get to them.

But wow. The resort was absolutely packed over Halloween! Captain Cook's was constant chaos.

 

[heidijanesmith]

Here now! Got a nice ground floor Samoa room, just outside the Volcano pool. Great, convenient location. Weather has been a little cool at night, but it looks like it should be pretty pleasant all week.

Awesome! We stayed in Niue and loved the location. Samoa, facing the volcano pool would be wonderful.

Hope your trip goes well!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Thinking about staying here--can you actually sit out on the balconies? The pics are a little deceiving. I see the chairs on the first floor, but not on 2 or 3.

Any ideas on room requests? Specifically, I want a clear view of the East Pool. Also, does anyone know how deep it is? 24 hours? Temps at Xmas?

Thanks

We just stayed in Tokelau 3rd Floor and had a clear view of the quiet pool. It is about 3'ft deep. There are no lifeguards on duty in the quiet pool. When we were there a few weeks ago, lifeguards were on duty in the volcano pool until 8:00 pm. but were told that the pool is open until Midnight; reopens at 7:00 a.m. I assume the same holds true for the quiet pool.

The East Pool (quiet pool) has different depths. The edges in the 'deeper' end are about 3 1/2 feet but the middle goes to 4 1/2 feet. I've used the east pool well past midnight so I'm not sure that it closes (or if it does, we still swam!) The East pool has no lifeguard ever and the volcano pool only has lifeguards during standard day hours and so the slide is only open during that time as well.

Just got back on Saturday, and it's back to work and the real world. Eight days at the Poly really flew by!

While we were there workers were installing new safety ropes on the marina and around the front of Tuvalu. Guess maybe they've had people falling in? I'll post a couple photos I took once I can get to them.

But wow. The resort was absolutely packed over Halloween! Captain Cook's was constant chaos.

When we were there a few weeks ago, my DH was talking with the maintenance folks. It seems that they were out of code near the marina. You can't go past a maximum amount of inches between ropes/slats and they were over. They didn't say there were any accidents, just that they had to get up to code. My DH is a contractor so of course he was asking them everything. They've been out of code for a while apparantly but must be that Orlando magic giving back to Disney to let them get away with being out of code so long...

 

[cmcinc]

We were there Oct 28 - Nov 3...we had a great time. We got 2nd floor Samoa facing the Volcano pool (was bummed at first for getting a second floor, they were booked, so no biggie). When we checked in they had us down for staying for 281 days, we all laughed and said I wish. I told the CM I would need the King Kamehameha Suite if that were true. We chatted for a bit about that suite and she actually checked to see if it was booked and said we could take a peek in there if it was not, of course it was, so no luck. I thanked her very much for the offer.
Our rooom looked great, no signs of wear of anything. The shower was great, the fridge worked and everything was fresh.
The grounds were as amazing as ever. We ate at Cap Cooks several times and had no issues. We ate one night at Kona, it was great! The parks were a bit more crowded, but we made every rope drop and got done with everything early on and used fast passes when it was more busy in the afternoon.
We used the pool twice, both times in the early evening and it was very warm and only a few other people in there. The water was warmer than ther air temp on those nights!
All in all a nother great Poly trip, we will be back next October.

 

[XStAnt]

Haven't been on these boards in a few years. I've been back lurking for the past month or so.

I am 27 days until I return to the Poly. Last visit was 2002 with just my wife and I. We absolutely loved the Poly. Now we're back with two kids (DS 6 and DD4) plus grandparents and BIL. This will definitely be a different experience from our other trip.

 

[goofybabe]

Have a magical trip .Its such a great feeling knowing you are going to be able to go back to such a magical resort!

 

[Kona65]

First Christmas at the Poly. We have all kinds of activities planned for when we are not at the resort, but can anyone give us some advice on what we can expect when we are at the Poly.?

 

[plazajane]

Does anyone have pics of lagoon room views from CL any floor? Or if you can direct me to any? I have a garden view booked, but am thinking about surprising my family with an upgrade for Christmas. But not sure what the view exactly looks like? Do all of the rooms have obstructed views of the castle or are some just of water? Thanks. Jane

 

[1971DBday]

First Christmas at the Poly. We have all kinds of activities planned for when we are not at the resort, but can anyone give us some advice on what we can expect when we are at the Poly.?

The decorations are beautiful,, but there aren't any special Christmas activities just the regular ones. Make sure to check out the gingerbread poly on the 2nd floor near the monorail entrance exit. The lobby looks beautiful this time of the year!

 

[1971DBday]

Nice! Sorry you can't talk about it, but you only have to whisper for 50 more days! Check out Youtube for ideas on disney surprises. I know there are a few that are really great!

I'm just worried about spilling the beans...I've tried YouTube and not impressed. I'm thinking one giant big box for all the kids with little boxes inside that will have their t-shirts, calendars, etc...but before the get to the gifts maybe balloons come flying out. Each balloon will have a different word...We are going to...and then have a Mickey Mouse balloon. Then the kids can open their stuff for the trip.

We are also debating if we should surprise the kids or not! The past 2 years have been surprises ~ and it was so fun I think we will wait again. But it's hard!! They know we are going, but just not sure when. This way they can have a little input on restaurants and stuff. Before we had decided on a Poly stay, my oldest DD (6) saw me looking at pictures and insisted we stay at the place with the "volcano pool" next time we go to Disney. I thought about picking her up from school with the car decorated "we're going to Disney!", but we make the drive in 2 days and I don't want to listen to her asking if we're there yet the whole time

My Mom lives by the "It's not just about the destination, but the journey." My parents want to suprise them but to have something to get excited about (plus I would crack...I've never been good about surprises. !

 

[LorieDisneyLover]

Does anyone have pics of lagoon room views from CL any floor? Or if you can direct me to any? I have a garden view booked, but am thinking about surprising my family with an upgrade for Christmas. But not sure what the view exactly looks like? Do all of the rooms have obstructed views of the castle or are some just of water? Thanks. Jane

you will have an unobstructed view of the castle if you book a TPV (Theme Park view) room. However, the castle is still pretty far away. Many of the pics you see online were by a camera with a good zoom capability. Still, it is nice to see the lagoon and the castle in the distance ... especially at night when the lights from the castle can be seen.

If you book a lagoon view room you might still have a view of the castle but a tree or bush might be blocking the view in some way -- usually not completely.

 

[harleys mom]

We are counting out days!!! We will be staying there in January for the Marathon.

 

[sargenca]

I'm just worried about spilling the beans...I've tried YouTube and not impressed. I'm thinking one giant big box for all the kids with little boxes inside that will have their t-shirts, calendars, etc...but before the get to the gifts maybe balloons come flying out. Each balloon will have a different word...We are going to...and then have a Mickey Mouse balloon. Then the kids can open their stuff for the trip.




My Mom lives by the "It's not just about the destination, but the journey." My parents want to suprise them but to have something to get excited about (plus I would crack...I've never been good about surprises. !

I agree - My DD is 5, so I wanted to wait until just before the trip to tell her about it. Mainly because of the "is it time to go to Disney yet" questions. But going ahead and telling her a little early was the thing to do (for us). She got so excited and was wanting to pack and figure out what toys to take!! She also got excited about the plane ride and thinking about what rides she could do!! Also, she wasn't quite tall enough last year for some of the rides, so we got to make a big deal about how tall she was this year and how she was going to get to ride new things this year. After telling her I was so glad. It really made the last fews days of preparing so much fun!

 

[BreezysMom]

Does anyone have pics of lagoon room views from CL any floor? Or if you can direct me to any? I have a garden view booked, but am thinking about surprising my family with an upgrade for Christmas. But not sure what the view exactly looks like? Do all of the rooms have obstructed views of the castle or are some just of water? Thanks. Jane

Here is our view from 2508 which is LVCL. A surprise upgrade from GVCL.

As you can see there are some trees! It was a beautiful and stunning view even with the Palm Trees! It was on the second floor so of course there is no balcony but the fabulous view made up for it!

 

[plazajane]

"As you can see there are some trees! It was a beautiful and stunning view even with the Palm Trees! It was on the second floor so of course there is no balcony but the fabulous view made up for it!"


Those are great views. Do you think all rooms face that way in Hawaii with the lagoon view? I know there is some construction over at the GF and I really don't want to see that - even in the far distance.

Thanks. Any more pics out there?

 

[plazajane]

and now one more club level question - trying to plan our getting ready in the morning with the one bathroom and all? Will my daughters age 14, 11 and 8 be able to go to the lounge and eat breakfast while I am getting ready or will they need an adult with them? I'm thinking it would be around 15-20 minutes before I arrived. I allowed them to go to Cap. Cooks last year and get breakfast and begin eating while I finished up in the room without any problems, but I don't know if the CMs would allow that in the lounge in hawaii. Thanks.

 

[BreezysMom]

"As you can see there are some trees! It was a beautiful and stunning view even with the Palm Trees! It was on the second floor so of course there is no balcony but the fabulous view made up for it!"


Those are great views. Do you think all rooms face that way in Hawaii with the lagoon view? I know there is some construction over at the GF and I really don't want to see that - even in the far distance.

Thanks. Any more pics out there?

You cannot see any construction from the GF DVC being built at all. BUT, there are some sites saying that there is some sort of beach replenishment going on soon at the Poly but there have been conflicting reports.

My honest opinion, I was upgraded and that was wonderful. But I also thoroughly enjoyed GVCL. You can still get the fabulous view from the lounge, watch the fireworks on chilly nights and be able to just gaze at the castle

and now one more club level question - trying to plan our getting ready in the morning with the one bathroom and all? Will my daughters age 14, 11 and 8 be able to go to the lounge and eat breakfast while I am getting ready or will they need an adult with them? I'm thinking it would be around 15-20 minutes before I arrived. I allowed them to go to Cap. Cooks last year and get breakfast and begin eating while I finished up in the room without any problems, but I don't know if the CMs would allow that in the lounge in hawaii. Thanks.

Yes, they seem an appropriate age to be in the lounge by themselves. After the first day, guests usually get the routine. Happy planning

 

[princssdisnygina]

and now one more club level question - trying to plan our getting ready in the morning with the one bathroom and all? Will my daughters age 14, 11 and 8 be able to go to the lounge and eat breakfast while I am getting ready or will they need an adult with them? I'm thinking it would be around 15-20 minutes before I arrived. I allowed them to go to Cap. Cooks last year and get breakfast and begin eating while I finished up in the room without any problems, but I don't know if the CMs would allow that in the lounge in hawaii. Thanks.

I would see no problem with them heading to the lounge while you get ready. They are at a good age to act appropriately.

 

[Tess]

Aloooohaaaa my fellow Polynesian faithfuls. I haven't been posting often, but I am still reading the thread and keeping abreast of all the Polynesian news. I have enjoyed hearing about the trips taken and plans for upcoming vacations.

We are actually considering a return in May, but haven't fully committed yet since the APs aren't out that far nor have the Tiki Gods favored us with any type of early pin for May.

A fellow fan of all things Polynesian and devoutly followed by a good many here, asked me to raise the issue of the "music" around the Nanea Volcano pool in the afternoons. While the kid games are certainly a great break and distraction for the younger set (and allows Mom and Dad time to sip a frozen concoction or two), he indicates there have been numerous complaints about the volume of the entertainment.

I know it has been our experience that the volume of those tunes is too loud for us to enjoy being at the Volcano pool. For that reason,we would rather be at the quiet pool. (Don't even get me started about the time the afternoon activities were moved to the quiet pool after the volcano pool was closed due to contamination ) Miley Cyrus music and the like does not lend itself to the serene atmosphere of the Polynesian. The bartenders are also not fans of the volume, but their complaints have fallen upon deaf ears. What has been your experience with the volume of the music around the pool? I'm not talking about the games themselves, simply the loud nature of the karaoke machine utilized by the recreation CMs.

As you know, we have spent time at resorts other than the Polynesian and have not found the afternoon kid game time to be as loud and obnoxious as it is around the Polynesian pool. Perhaps it is simply the nature of the beast given the smallish size of the Polynesian's themed pool area. Maybe it would be better to move the whole set up farther down the beach, within eyesight of the pool, but slightly away from it. I know if I had rented that humongous cabana for the day, the afternoon music would not be a welcome intrusion.

Remember, if you are one of those who believe the music (and again, the volume only--the kid's activities are wonderful) needs to be tamed down to a quiet roar, a nicely worded letter to guest services does wonders to effectuate these small changes that make all of our stays more pleasant.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Pluto1976]

Aloooohaaaa my fellow Polynesian faithfuls. I haven't been posting often, but I am still reading the thread and keeping abreast of all the Polynesian news. I have enjoyed hearing about the trips taken and plans for upcoming vacations.

We are actually considering a return in May, but haven't fully committed yet since the APs aren't out that far nor have the Tiki Gods favored us with any type of early pin for May.

A fellow fan of all things Polynesian and devoutly followed by a good many here, asked me to raise the issue of the "music" around the Nanea Volcano pool in the afternoons. While the kid games are certainly a great break and distraction for the younger set (and allows Mom and Dad time to sip a frozen concoction or two), he indicates there have been numerous complaints about the volume of the entertainment.

I know it has been our experience that the volume of those tunes is too loud for us to enjoy being at the Volcano pool. For that reason,we would rather be at the quiet pool. (Don't even get me started about the time the afternoon activities were moved to the quiet pool after the volcano pool was closed due to contamination ) Miley Cyrus music and the like does not lend itself to the serene atmosphere of the Polynesian. The bartenders are also not fans of the volume, but their complaints have fallen upon deaf ears. What has been your experience with the volume of the music around the pool? I'm not talking about the games themselves, simply the loud nature of the karaoke machine utilized by the recreation CMs.

As you know, we have spent time at resorts other than the Polynesian and have not found the afternoon kid game time to be as loud and obnoxious as it is around the Polynesian pool. Perhaps it is simply the nature of the beast given the smallish size of the Polynesian's themed pool area. Maybe it would be better to move the whole set up farther down the beach, within eyesight of the pool, but slightly away from it. I know if I had rented that humongous cabana for the day, the afternoon music would not be a welcome intrusion.

Remember, if you are one of those who believe the music (and again, the volume only--the kid's activities are wonderful) needs to be tamed down to a quiet roar, a nicely worded letter to guest services does wonders to effectuate these small changes that make all of our stays more pleasant.

Thoughts anyone?

Agreed and done. Here is an excerpt from a letter I sent to WDW Guest Communications when we returned from our August visit:

"We have returned from our trip and I would like to provide an update on our experience. While I do not believe that songs such as Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll" are conducive to providing a relaxing atmosphere nor the theme of the Polynesian resort, we were able escape off to other parts of the main beach area in the far front area of the Hawaii longhouse and not hear the music too loudly. Perhaps this music choice and sound volumes should be revisited."

I got a generic reply, but at least they know.