Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[Bayoumouse]

10 days to go until our very first Poly stay. Thanks again for all of the information & tips as I've waited ever so patiently (lol!!) for this trip

 

[conandrob240]

Even though all my FPs are set and dining made, I am seriously thinking about flipping my split stay now to BC for 4th of July followed by Poly rather than the reverse that I have booked now.

 

[TJA]

They don't have Cabanas at the poly pool anymore do they? The 4th was going to be our pool day. I wonder if it's better to just go to Typhoon or Blizzard Beach that day then come back in the evening for the fireworks.

Sadly they don't have the cabanas anymore! On the 4th, we usually go to AK because it has never been overly crowded on that day. Then we head back to Poly by 3:30/4:00 to eat and hang out until the show. Maybe swim depending on how the crowds are.....you never know -- with the Oasis pool open now, the crowds might be more spread out until later when people start to reserve their spots. If you're at the main pool early, you could already have your spot secured by the time the crowds all move in! Hard to know how it will be this year, but we're just really excited as it's our favorite place to be on the 4th! Each year I say maybe we'll stay home and watch fireworks on the lake here, but that thought never lasts very long....

 

[Mikeb1892]

How tough will day-of reservations be to get for Lilo's Playhouse between July 20-30 for 2 boys, 3 & 9 years old? I'm thinking of possibly needing this if my wife and I get an opportunity to head to Grog's Grotto.

 

[conandrob240]

I am assuming a chair won't be a possibility getting to the pool at 5 or 6pm on the 4th but I can't imagine in the pool can be so crowded that you can't go for a swim. I generally like to stay in the water for hours anyway so I'm not too worried about pool crowds. Is the Oasis pool gated and checked as well?

 

[Taylor/Kate]

staying at poly for the first time this july 4 days 2 in a deluxe studio and 2 in a standard room

 

[1971DBday]

I am assuming a chair won't be a possibility getting to the pool at 5 or 6pm on the 4th but I can't imagine in the pool can be so crowded that you can't go for a swim. I generally like to stay in the water for hours anyway so I'm not too worried about pool crowds. Is the Oasis pool gated and checked as well?

Yes, the Oasis pool is gated and you need your Magicband to enter, however, I can't answer the checked.

 

[CMAG38]

It used to be my favorite time to go but as it became more popular and every blog and podcast on the planet started telling people it’s the best place to go, we decided not to return during that time of year. Officially the beach and pool areas were always for Polynesian Resort guests only (as the signs use to state) but we know Disney will never enforce that. They have not even trained staff about those rules because they know they will not enforce them and no one will pay attention to the signs. Just like the signs to stay out of the water get ignored.

The flood of people only keeps getting worse so there is no way I would ever go back then. Not saying you can’t go then and enjoy but I really don’t want to deal with the frustration. It’s like having a holiday BBQ and the whole town invades your backyard because they think its okay.

I don’t think it has than much to do with not having the staff because they were ready and had some great ideas on how to limit the non-resort guests but they shortly after I heard about all the plans the staff was told they were just going to let people go and not try all the things they planned on doing. Even the staff was frustrated that they would not stick with the plan.

The roped off area for club level looks sufficient and you can’t get into the area without having a club level room reservation. They will check and kick anyone out who tries to get into the roped off area.

This type of character trait drives me crazy. I'm not one to bite my tongue when I see somebody disregarding rules and law when it comes to moochers. I wish I had the green light to do some public shaming with a bullhorn. "May I have your attention please. This person is not a Polynesian guest. However, they still feel it is OK to sneak in!"

 

[mousestruck]

We are staying at the Poly for the first time 6/29-7/5. That time of year was not our first choice, but my daughter is dancing in an event that week and how could we pass up the opportunity to be at WDW for Independence Day?! We were hoping to relax and enjoy the pool on 7/3 and watch the fireworks from our Lake View Studio (or the pool or beach if not too crowded), maybe head to MK after the fireworks. Then we're planning on spending the morning of 7/4 at AK and heading to Epcot for dinner and fireworks. Don't know how that will work out, but my kids are older and we're flexible. We're also frequent visitors, so no need to do it all. Just hoping to find a little magic in spite of the crowds!

 

[Tikiman]

We are staying at the Poly for the first time 6/29-7/5. That time of year was not our first choice, but my daughter is dancing in an event that week and how could we pass up the opportunity to be at WDW for Independence Day?! We were hoping to relax and enjoy the pool on 7/3 and watch the fireworks from our Lake View Studio (or the pool or beach if not too crowded), maybe head to MK after the fireworks. Then we're planning on spending the morning of 7/4 at AK and heading to Epcot for dinner and fireworks. Don't know how that will work out, but my kids are older and we're flexible. We're also frequent visitors, so no need to do it all. Just hoping to find a little magic in spite of the crowds!

Keep in mind that parks hit capacity on those days and they will stop letting people in. We got in early and went back in late after the fireworks but during the day they were not letting any more people in and lines were crazy long for everything.

 

[mousestruck]

Keep in mind that parks hit capacity on those days and they will stop letting people in. We got in early and went back in late after the fireworks but during the day they were not letting any more people in and lines were crazy long for everything.

Yes, I understand. We're really planning on skipping the parks altogether on 7/3. Just wondering if MK might empty out after the fireworks and re-open. I was under the impression that I did not have to worry about Epcot closing on 7/4. Some on the boards indicated that I could even head there at dinner time, perhaps entering the back way through World Showcase to have dinner at Tokyo Dining. Is that incorrect? How early should we get there to be safe? We don't care about AK that day - just figured that park would be least crowded.

 

[Skywise]

My plan is to hit DHS on July the 3rd or 4th (depending on rain) I'm not expecting DHS to hit max capacity those days and the alternate will be a non-park/pool day. (Or should I be concerned? )

 

[conandrob240]

Our plan is MK and "enjoying" our resort on 7/3 & 7/4. That's why I'm concerned about guest enjoyment level those days. They were going to be heavy resort days for us. We'll see.

 

[beesly]

Leaving in six days for our Poly stay. We'll be there 8 days ...

First time staying at Poly. Last time we were at AoA - Cars suite and we absolutely loved it. We're a family of 3: just hubby, 7 yr old son, and me, but we loved the extra room there. Can't wait to stay at Poly and take advantage of the beautiful pool, monorail access, and awesome restaurants.

Enjoy! Our family is similar - DH, DD (6, almost 7) and me - and we just did a split stay with 5 nights at AoA followed by 4 nights at the Poly. We loved the Cars suite so much that we weren't sure we really wanted to move to the Poly, but we ended up really happy with the split between the two. The nice thing about the Poly is that the standard rooms have more square footage than standards in most (if not all) other resorts on property, so it really didn't feel much smaller than AoA - though we did miss having two bathrooms. The lava pool, restaurant choices, and monorail access more than made up for that, though, IMO.

 

[cmdg]

Probably a dumb question, but does CL open before the morning service begins? We have an early riser and so I'd love to be able to scoot him out of the room before 7 so everyone else can sleep!

 

[Tess]

Probably a dumb question, but does CL open before the morning service begins? We have an early riser and so I'd love to be able to scoot him out of the room before 7 so everyone else can sleep!

The lounge is unlocked and coffee is available--it is only the food service that is not available until 7:00 a.m. We used to enjoy the quiet walks around the resort in the early a.m. versus sitting in the lounge.

 

[mickeynut1]

10 days to go until our very first Poly stay. Thanks again for all of the information & tips as I've waited ever so patiently (lol!!) for this trip

Have a great trip!

How tough will day-of reservations be to get for Lilo's Playhouse between July 20-30 for 2 boys, 3 & 9 years old? I'm thinking of possibly needing this if my wife and I get an opportunity to head to Grog's Grotto.

I can't answer, but hopefully others will be able to help .

staying at poly for the first time this july 4 days 2 in a deluxe studio and 2 in a standard room

How exciting! Have a great time .

We are staying at the Poly for the first time 6/29-7/5. That time of year was not our first choice, but my daughter is dancing in an event that week and how could we pass up the opportunity to be at WDW for Independence Day?! We were hoping to relax and enjoy the pool on 7/3 and watch the fireworks from our Lake View Studio (or the pool or beach if not too crowded), maybe head to MK after the fireworks. Then we're planning on spending the morning of 7/4 at AK and heading to Epcot for dinner and fireworks. Don't know how that will work out, but my kids are older and we're flexible. We're also frequent visitors, so no need to do it all. Just hoping to find a little magic in spite of the crowds!

I'm sure you'll have a great time, even with the crazy holiday crowds .

Enjoy! Our family is similar - DH, DD (6, almost 7) and me - and we just did a split stay with 5 nights at AoA followed by 4 nights at the Poly. We loved the Cars suite so much that we weren't sure we really wanted to move to the Poly, but we ended up really happy with the split between the two. The nice thing about the Poly is that the standard rooms have more square footage than standards in most (if not all) other resorts on property, so it really didn't feel much smaller than AoA - though we did miss having two bathrooms. The lava pool, restaurant choices, and monorail access more than made up for that, though, IMO.

I agree about the room size. The Poly rooms are very large and spacious with plenty of room to spread out. Glad you had a great trip!

 

[TJA]

Probably a dumb question, but does CL open before the morning service begins? We have an early riser and so I'd love to be able to scoot him out of the room before 7 so everyone else can sleep!

Not a dumb question at all and YES the CL lounge is always open! That is something we love about staying Poly CL. My DH is an early riser and likes to take his laptop and phone to the lounge for his morning work.....all while enjoying coffee sitting in the Poly lounge! And my kids and I get to sleep and take our time getting ready. Win-win for all of us!

 

[TJA]

My plan is to hit DHS on July the 3rd or 4th (depending on rain) I'm not expecting DHS to hit max capacity those days and the alternate will be a non-park/pool day. (Or should I be concerned? )

I wouldn't personally be concerned about DHS hitting capacity .

We normally go to MK on July 3 but leave by mid-afternoon. A few years ago, we stayed until after dinner and we almost didn't make it back to Poly in time for the fireworks because we couldn't get out of the park/crowds. So....lesson learned and now we simply plan the day accordingly and leave after lunch.

On July 4, we go to AK with the same thought in mind.....just stay until mid-afternoon then go back to Poly and hang out. It's almost time -- can't wait!

 

[Kimberle]

For those that have been there recently, are they still leaving shower gel? The last Dreams podcast said WDW was going to stop leaving shower gel at all resorts.