I just got back from staying at the Poly, and I think it officially cured us of our desire to go to Disney every year. It was pretty much completely devoid of pixie dust. First off, the parks were super-crowded! We've gone this week for the past 4 years and this is the first time it was like this (I think because Labor Day is later), but it really felt like everyone was out for their own dose of pixie dust and there was only so much to go around. People were rude, cutting in line and acting like they were the only people who mattered. Most CMs looked like they'd been beaten down and abused and so they didn't even attempt to stop it. I really appreciate the 2 adults who were behind us in line at the Magic Carpets who decided not to follow the CM seating us clockwise around the ride as she instructed, going counter-clockwise and therefore grabbing the last open seat before us, forcing us to have to wait for the next ride... things like that. It's like, weren't any of these people taught manners? It's as if these people know they're not going to see any of these strangers again so they can treat them any way they want.
The pool at the Poly was so crowded and not only that, not very clean. I couldn't move in it without accidentally hitting someone else, and the water felt slimy and I kept getting strands of long hair that wasn't mine or errant band-aids in my fingers every time I stroked. When I looked at the surface of the water in the sunlight, it was covered in greasy oil slicks. Toward the end of the week I couldn't even bring myself to go in, no matter how hot I got-- I just watched the kids from the side. Sad, because we are big pool people.
I did like the kids water-play area-- it's easily the best of the resort water-play areas. At first my DD9 was afraid to use it because of the 48" limit signs everywhere, but when she asked they told her the only thing she couldn't use was the little slide. I thought the lifeguards were amazing there, and one especially, Cody, was very nice to my DD6.
Trader Sam's was so small and reminded me of a frat house basement-- there was no seating inside the entire time we were there. We ended up drinking our drinks outside on the patio and watching the fireworks from there. I don't think I missed much and I got some nice souvenir glasses, so, yay.
We stayed at Fiji overlooking the marina so construction didn't bother us. It was a nice room. I heard something interesting from a CM who vacationed at the Poly a few months ago. He said that all the buildings, including the bungalows, on the pool construction side have another major drawback going for them-- the ferry boat horn. It's going off constantly and SO LOUD. Not always a problem, but I'm sure it is whenever the MK stays open late. I'm not sure I'd want to spend $2500 a night and hear a ferry horn blast waking me up at 2 in the morning.
It rained every day, but we expected that, so we didn't mind it much. Several of the rides broke down while we were waiting on line, another thing we expected, but it's still disappointing.
Captain Cook's... if they just remodeled it, why did they not make it bigger? We were constantly looking for seats! And OMG-- the wait for foot was sometimes ridiculously long. I had to wait 45 minutes to try Tonga Toast. And then I cried because I found it to be rather disgusting and not my thing. Even my DD6 couldn't eat it, and she lives on sugar.
Anyways, I guess it was an ok stay. It could've been worse.