Haven't stayed at Poly since '81! What to expect?

Hi folks!

Well, with my beloved Contemporary Resort undergoing transformation, we decided to switch over to the Poly for our fall trip! My husband has always wanted to stay there and I haven't stayed there since I was 10 so I was wondering if you could all share with me your favorite things about the resort!

I'm looking forward to the ease of transportation and the pool for my child who wants to spend some quality time there, anything else I should be sure not to miss???

Dinner at O'hana is a must I know :)

Thanks,
Laren

:welcome: to Intercot:hi:

We stayed at the Poly for the first time in January and fell in love with it:cloud9: We stayed in the Tokelau building which was a great building. It is close to the quiet pool and a short walk to the Great Ceremonial House. The food court has recently been redone and was small but more than adequate. The CMs are extremely nice. Everyone we saw was friendly and helpful. We had breakfast at Ohana and I would love to do that again sometime. It got cold when we were there so we never got to sit on the beach and watch the fireworks but I wish we could have done that to. You and your husband are going to love it:thumbsup:

:mickey: You'll love it! Here are some of the things we enjoy at the Poly;

-the Volcano pool. It has a great slide, and is zero entry. Note: if you take food to a table poolside, watch out for the evil :thedolls: seagulls. They are very bold and will snatch food right off your tray as you are walking.

-Tonga Toast at the Kona Cafe.. Double Yum!

-the Poly is one of the few places left that you can get a really good cup of coffee in the morning. (Not that instant stuff at the other resorts)

-Sitting on the beach at night and watching Wishes at the MK. It's a wonderful perspective- you can see just how huge those fireworks really are!

-Torch lighting ceremony. Performed by a handsome man dressed in traditional skirt thingy. !Sigh! DH doesn't think this is such a big deal. Wonder why? ;)

-Monorail access, of course. :cloud9:

-The food court has recently been remodeled and enlarged, and it is very nice. (Unfortunately, it took the space where the Polynesian Princess used to be.) :(

-New furnishings in the lobby, and all the rooms have recently been refurbed too, with flat screen TVs, chair & ottoman, rolling table, and extra storage in the bathrooms under the sink. The closets have also been redone, and there are new safes with key-card access. Nice!

Have a Magical Time!

This is gonna sound stupid....

Be prepared for it to seem a littele smaller...

It's not.. but your not 10 anymore.

I went to a resort with the wife (not disney) that I visited as a kid and was dissappointed.. Again it wasn't disney

The Poly....

The Poly just got it's 4 star rating back. (lost it in 2000 i think)

While I was there in 2002( We loved it then) I've not seen it since the refurb. I hear nothing but good.

Have a great time

Scott

Have a wonderful trip!!! Make sure not to miss the fireworks from the beach at night.:papple:

The Polynesian is my families favorite resort!!

HAve funand ENJOY!!!!

have you been in to look around since you stayed there as a child? if not, you'll see it is extremely different now.

even since a couple years ago, they have taken out a lot of the cool traditional ploynesian elements and gone with a more party supply store version (neon tikis, fewer plants, more open spaces). it doesn't feel like a hideaway anymore to me. it used to seem so secluded and exotic. now it feels like a vaguely hawaiian shopping center.:(

i just really loved the old poly for its authenticity. i started staying there in '82.

Be prepared to love it. We love it sooo much it sometimes hurts to stay other places and wave to it across the lagoon.
The vibe is peaceful, the flowers and plants lush and exotic. It doesn't have a hotel feel, it has a resort feel. The castle is always right there for the looking, which I love. I feel so close to the action when we are there. I love the lobby smell, the lobby shops. The monorail is a huge plus. This is the only resort on Disney property that I just want to hang out at. We prefer the fireworks from the beach, rather than the park, thats a huge perk. Ohanas is our fave restaurant on Disney property. We usually stay concierge, and think too, that is the best on property. I love the Volcano pool and seeing the MK in front of you, the GF to the left, and the contemporary to the right. Perfect. And also, we love the ducks and bunnies. The Poly is positively perfect in every way.;)

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Originally Posted by autumn

have you been in to look around since you stayed there as a child? if not, you'll see it is extremely different now.

even since a couple years ago, they have taken out a lot of the cool traditional ploynesian elements and gone with a more party supply store version (neon tikis, fewer plants, more open spaces). it doesn't feel like a hideaway anymore to me. it used to seem so secluded and exotic. now it feels like a vaguely hawaiian shopping center.:(

i just really loved the old poly for its authenticity. i started staying there in '82.

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I won’t tell you that you are not entitled to your opinion but what you stated is opinion and not fact. The Polynesian or the 70’s and 80’s was much less authentic to actual Polynesian design than it is now. In fact in the 90’s they brought in representatives of the Kaanapali Beach Hotel (voted most Hawaiian but the State of Hawaii) to redesign much of the resort and bring in textures and patterns that represented Polynesian Culture. Some plants were removed for the new pool area but other than that they have added some plants since the 80’s and many of the original plants are much larger than they were now. The furniture was replaced in the GCH with hand made, high end pieces imported in from Pacific Islands and they replaced the cheap wicker stuff that use to be in the lobby.Many details have been added that were never there before. Now Boutiki might be a little cartoony but that was meant to be fun for the kids. Other than that I believe they have added Polynesian detail instead of removing it. I also in all my visits have never seen a neon tiki at the Polynesian resort.

:lei: We just stayed there for the first time two weeks ago - and we loved it! I think there is a very authentic Polynesian feel to the resort and, as stated before by others, the CM's are very friendly - everyone greets you with an "aloha".

Another benefit is being so close to the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Delicious food and great entertainment- would definitely do it again.

Also, the beach is wonderful with the castle as a backdrop. If facing out, turn left and check out the hammocks - the most peaceful spot around!

Thank you please keep the info coming! :) we are all so very excited about our stay now. Especially since I just read they tore out my favorite little Fantasia giftshop at the Contemporary...which has been my favorite resort since WDW opened and I was small. . .I'm especially glad now that we decided to rebook for Poly instead. Staying there will be a way for us to build new and happy family memories!

My child can't wait for the pool but I think my husband may be even more excited about it LOL I got my dream of staying at the GF concierge a few years ago. . .and every time we have ever gone and eaten at Ohana my husband has said "someday we'll stay here." I'm so glad his day is coming this fall!!! Cannot wait. It sounds just like I dream it will be, relaxing and very conveniently located!


Thanks again everybody! :mickey:

We stayed there for the first time in June of last year and fell in love. We had a wonderful third floor view of the quiet pool with close access to the GCH. We loved the overall atmosphere at the Poly, too.

We had a wonderful dinner at Kona with the best service. Our server actually sat down and helped to feed our son who was 22 months at the time. She was the best.

We liked being able to have the monorail just a hop, skip and a jump away.

We were able to watch the fireworks from our balcony, while we enjoyed some wine. It was just fantastic.

Great . . . now I want to go back! I think I'll start planning another trip.

I'm staying for the first time at the Poly in July and I can't wait! :tikki:

Tikiman I have to take my hat off to you, your website is incredible!!! My family is even more excited now we really appreciate all the time and love and care you put into giving us all the best preview possible of the Poly!!!

Many thanks
Laren and family

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Originally Posted by Laren

Tikiman I have to take my hat off to you, your website is incredible!!! My family is even more excited now we really appreciate all the time and love and care you put into giving us all the best preview possible of the Poly!!!

Many thanks
Laren and family

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Well the anticipation is part of the fun. I did a DVD of walking the resort so we watch that before we are going to go and it makes us feel like we are there.

Aloha

Steve

Expect it to be much more crowded than before. But truly great place to stay.

We stayed at the Poly last July for 9 days:cloud9: and just loved it!!! We are planning our next trip for next year and we all really want to stay there again.
We did not find the crowds to be bad , we liked the quite pool the best but then our 2 kids are teens so that makes a difference ,they liked the fact that it was roomier and they dont play on the slide anymore. We loved the easy access to the monorail and the nice walk to the TTC. Getting around to the parks was so easy.
The beach and fireworks are wonderful and don't miss the water parade at night from the beach.
The rooms seem bigger than some of the other resorts and were very nice for the 4 of us. We ate at Kona's and had breakfast at Ohana's. Both meals were very good. I must agree and so will my ds and dh the coffee is very good dd loved the flavored coffee, we loved having a good cup of coffee early in the morning out on our balcony or on the beach a very peaceful way to start a busy day at WDW.
Have fun, wish we were going back this year:mickey: but the planning is part of the fun. Right??