Lobby of Deluxe

[traceyo1]

My family and extended family of 15 have been to AKL and WL and one of the many things we like is being able to meet everyone in the morning down in the lobby, or in the afternoon, or any time we want and having something to do (look at shops, sit by fire, etc) while we are waiting for others in the group. I know the Poly has several buildings but are there lobbies in the buildings? Are they decorated at Christmas time? Is the main house the only lobby? if so are there guest rooms at the main house? We would really like to try Poly this time, but more importantly we want a lobby we can use as a meeting place.

[goofygirl64]

We have stayed at the Poly twice and I have never noticed a lobby area in either building that we stayed in. I think if you book a club level room, there is a special area just for those guests, but if you just have a regular garden or lagoon view room, you would have to go back to the Great Ceremonial House, which is beautiful, to meet up with everyone. The lobby at WL is my all time favorite. I love sitting in the rocking chairs in front of that gorgeous fire place.

[Polynesian Dweller]

There are no lobbies of the type you are talking about at the Poly except at the Great Ceremonial House (main building) and it does not have guest rooms. Tokelau and Tahiti do have a kind of lobby but not as elaborate as you mention.

However, you could meet at the main building easily enough. Despite what is generally thought, the Poly is a vast expanse. It takes as long to get to the GCH as it does to get to the lobby in most large hotels. I'd suggest taking a look at Google Earth and you'll find that the Poly is a pretty compact space simply designed to look large rather than be large.

[BrerGnat]

Some buildings at the Poly have "sitting areas" on various floors, but it's just a few chairs and little tables by chairs in the hallways, not nearly enough space for 15 people to meet.

The Great Ceremonial House is the "lobby". But, it gets VERY crowded in there, pretty much all the time, as the Poly is very popular due to Ohana and Kona Cafe, which are usually always booked from Breakfast all the way through to dinner time (although Ohana is closed for lunch). It might be hard to find SPACE for 15 people to meet. It's usually hard to just fine two tables together during the busier times there. The downstairs portion of the lobby is less crowded, but there is less going on down there, and more noise, due to the waterfall, so it's really a toss up.

I love the lobby at the WL, and there is no shortage of space to sprawl, and I like how everything is centrally located there.

The Grand Floridian also has a similar lobby setup, with the shops located just a floor above the main sitting area.

I would say, honestly, if a large lobby with lots of seating room is of REAL importance, the Poly is probably not the best option. The Poly has, perhaps, the most chaotic and crowded lobby of any deluxe hotel on WDW property.

[DizneyRox]

The Poly has, perhaps, the most chaotic and crowded lobby of any deluxe hotel on WDW property.

Never stayed at the Beach Club I presume!
But yeah, the Poly is a beast of a resort. It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to stay there.

AKL, WL, and maybe Boardwalk have great little meeting areas that are accessible without jumping through hoops, and dodging the weather. Beach Club is OK, but tends to get very congested at times. I never much cared for the Contemporary, but it's huge inside. The Grand and the Poly for the most part require treking outside to get to the lobby.

[BrerGnat]

Never stayed at the Beach Club I presume!

No, and if I ever stay over there, I'll choose the Yacht Club to avoid the chaos I've heard so much about over at the Beach Club lobby.

[FiggyFan]

At the Poly, there is some sitting space here and there in the Great Ceremonial House. As others have said, the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House is usually busy due to the restaurants. You could always use the outdoor seating for Captain Cook's - that never seems too busy to me.

I have never thought of the Beach Club lobby as being that hectic, but I agree that there isn't a place right in the lobby where 15 people could easily gather in one group. I would choose the Solarium as a meeting place. It is a nice sitting room at the front of the resort near the shop. In the BCV building, there are two rooms on the main floor. One is called the Drawing Room, I forget the name of the other.