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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
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    Default Our thoughts on the Poly...

    This was our first time staying at a monorail resort. We used every available form of transportation..bus to AK park and so on, T&T Center to Epcot and MK. Resort monorail to MK and the resort boat to MK. We had used on-line check in and we were happy when our room was ready when we got there at 11:00 on a Saturday morning. I had requested either Rapa Nui or Tahiti because of the slightly larger rooms and the two sink options. Also I wanted to be sure to get either of balcony or a patio. We ended up in room 1044 in Tahiti. I really like the quiet spots in a resort and this spot hit the mark. I like looking out at plants and such and we had a nice mix of lawn and plants. It was a very quick walk to T&T Center. It was a longer walk to the main pool and the main lobby, but after staying at places like POR, CSR and CRB..the walk was fine with us. DH really liked the size of the room with the 5 of us staying in it. The room was clean and mousekeeping did a very nice job. We felt that the room did show some wear and tear. At some point they had patched several holes in the ceiling and it was very obvious. There was a bleach stain in the carpet and some pealing wallpaper.
    Our first day we ate at both Capt. Cooks and O'hana. both were very good. Really liked the banana bread pudding desert at O'hana.
    The main pool was closed the day we got there due to a filter issue. So we got to spend some time in the quiet pool. On the next day when the main pool opened it was very crowded. We both felt that the pool was a tad small for the size of the resort. We also really missed a true hot tube. We tried sitting near the jets at the one end of the pool but the water was still cool in temperature.
    We did watch MK wishes from the beach outside of our building, and it was a nice perspective on those.
    Overall we were glad we tried the Poly. Will we be rushing back..most likely not. We think people who like the Poly are those who's favorite park is MK. Mine is Epcot and DH likes AK. We felt that the BWI, BC/YC area is more convenient and easier to enter the parks near there than being near the T&T center.
    2008 Oct-POR & BC
    2009 Oct- CS
    2009 Dec- AKL & CRB
    2010 April - Dolphin
    2010 Oct- BWI
    2011 April - POR
    2011 Oct - AKL
    2012 April - Poly
    2012 Oct - AKL & YC
    2013 April - WL
    2013 Oct - AKL
    2014 Jan - CS
    2014 April - YC & POR
    2014 Oct - WL & YC
    2014 Dec - PORFQ
    2015 April - BC

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Connecticut
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    Well, always good to try something new. I love the monorail resorts. We tried Beach Club, but it wasn't for us (even though World Showcase is our favorite WDW place). So it's good that there are so many options, enough to please us all.

    Did you get to see the Electric Water Pageant? Agreed on the pool being on the small side comparatively, and also miss having a hot tub when we're there. They should really amend that.
    Sherri
    Next: Aulani Celebration 10/2018 (50th)
    Past Stays: Contemporary, GF, Poly, BC, POP, POR, Dolphin, AKL Kidani, BLT
    1990 August Honeymoon- GF
    Delighted Disney Return Guest since 1981, DVC (BLT) since 2014


  4. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    Girard, Oh.
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    We're going to the Poly for the first time in June with our grandkids, 4,5 and 7. I have read many times of the lack of size for the main pool so I won't be surprised with that. We have stayed at the BC most visits and love the pool there. I hope the kids aren't disappointed with the Poly pool. We are hoping the easy access to the MK for the little ones makes this a good trip.

    Disney World
    Off site - 1980-1983
    CR - 87, BC - 95, YC - 99, BW - 05, GF - 06, BW - 07
    BC - 09 with kids and grandkids
    BC - 10, BC - '11,
    June 2012, family retirement vacation Poly
    Dec. 2013 GF/BC CL
    Sept. 2014. GF. CL. 40th Anniversary.


    It ain't a vacation if you don't go fishin!

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    Minnesota
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    I'd love to stay there, want to in the worst way, but we just booked a preliminary room only reservation for 10 nights at POR for Nov/Dec, I couldn't justify the add'l $3,000 to upgrade to the Poly. If money wasn't an issue, I'd do it, but I just haven't come across enough reasons to justify that kind of upcharge.

    If discounts are released for our time period maybe it will change, but I think it will be POR-AB.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    Ajax, ON (1,325 miles from Disneyworld)
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    A great review .... Thanks for posting.

    We loved watching the monorails go by from our balcony when we stayed at the Poly .... and watching Wishes from the Volcano pool ... which was ALWAYS very crowded.
    Jennifer (aka Mickey'sGirl)
    INTERCOT Staff: Guests with Special Needs, Dining and Disney Characters

    Last trip: March 2016 - Fantasy
    Next trip: Aug 2017 - Aulani

    I am a Galactic Hero once more!

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
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    In the mountains of East Tennessee
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    Good review...and while we have stayed at the Poly a couple of times and enjoyed our stays...its really not on my list of places to hurry and go back to either. (If staying at a MK resort I prefer any of the others (CR, GF and even the monorail deficient WL) over the Poly).

    However, having said that let me add that one of nice things about having so many resorts at WDW, is that the lodging options are almost limitless and if something doesn't appeal to you, you can easily find something that does.
    There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
    CR 74, 7, 11 Offsite 79,80,98,00,8 (2) Sports 94 DD 02 AKL 05, 08 AKLV 8 WL 6, 10 POP 07, 13 Movies 08 CBR 08 Swan 08 POFQ 08,11 CSR 08,13 FWC 09,13 Music 09 SSR-Tree 09 POR 10 12 Poly 10 (2) YC 10, BC 10, GF 10, AoA 13, OKW 13, Dream 11, next fwc 1/2014

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    Too Far from WDW!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mitzie View Post
    Will we be rushing back..most likely not.
    In January we had our second stay at Poly's club level. I'm with you - we're not rushing back. We didn't have a bad time (by any means), but were totally unimpressed. Other than the transportation (which is excellent), I don't give the Poly very high ratings.
    Quote Originally Posted by SBETigg View Post
    So it's good that there are so many options, enough to please us all.
    I completely agree!!! I know people LOVE the Poly, but it's not for us. We're EPCOT resort people.

    As for the monorail, for the $, we'll take the GF any time.
    Frank

    DVC Owner
    BWV, BCV, SSR

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
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    Taunton, MA United States
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    We like visiting the Poly for lunch at the Kona Cafe and the ambience, but we could never stay there. It's just too darn expensive. I know that Disney takes good care of its resorts, but the Poly is 41 years old for crying out loud.

  10. #9
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    Jul 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by epceddie View Post
    We like visiting the Poly for lunch at the Kona Cafe and the ambience, but we could never stay there. It's just too darn expensive. I know that Disney takes good care of its resorts, but the Poly is 41 years old for crying out loud.
    There are plenty of houses and hotels around the world much older than that and still in good shape. Not to mention the age of some park attractions. It's about the upkeep, maintenance, and regular refurbishments. I think Disney does a great job with the Polynesian and the Contemporary. Age doesn't keep me away.
    Sherri
    Next: Aulani Celebration 10/2018 (50th)
    Past Stays: Contemporary, GF, Poly, BC, POP, POR, Dolphin, AKL Kidani, BLT
    1990 August Honeymoon- GF
    Delighted Disney Return Guest since 1981, DVC (BLT) since 2014


  11. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by SBETigg View Post
    There are plenty of houses and hotels around the world much older than that and still in good shape. Not to mention the age of some park attractions. It's about the upkeep, maintenance, and regular refurbishments. I think Disney does a great job with the Polynesian and the Contemporary. Age doesn't keep me away.
    Totally agree SBETigg. Age is not the prime consideration. As you state, there are lots of fine hotels that are far older and in great shape. I've stayed in ones that are over 100 years old and are wonderful. On the other side, I've seen others that my hotel group evaluated and rejected that are about 10 years old and are close to dilapidated because of poor construction.

    Age tells very little but construction quality, refurb schedules and maintenance are far better indicators. The Poly does a room refurb about every 8 years so they are pretty good about that.
    26 years staying at the Polynesian
    There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of everyday...
    Twenty six straight years staying at the Polynesian
    Next trip: October 2018

  12. #11
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    Jul 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by SBETigg View Post
    There are plenty of houses and hotels around the world much older than that and still in good shape. Not to mention the age of some park attractions. It's about the upkeep, maintenance, and regular refurbishments. I think Disney does a great job with the Polynesian and the Contemporary. Age doesn't keep me away.
    Age isn't what keeps me away either (and let me add that I am not a Poly hater by any stretch of the imagination...my wife loves it and our stays there have been fine)..

    My only real issue with the Poly has to do with the whole "have to walk outside to go from your room to the lobby, or from your room to transportation, or from your room to get something to eat" thing. And even that is really not that much of an issue most of the time.... except on those days when it is unseasonably cold (especially for coffee runs early in the morning), brutally hot ( i perspire easily) or raining. But if I am paying what I consider "crazy" money for what is simply a hotel room, I simply prefer to be able to do those things "climate controlled"...hence my favorite monorail resort is the CR. And for a MK area resort stay we also love the WL.
    There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
    CR 74, 7, 11 Offsite 79,80,98,00,8 (2) Sports 94 DD 02 AKL 05, 08 AKLV 8 WL 6, 10 POP 07, 13 Movies 08 CBR 08 Swan 08 POFQ 08,11 CSR 08,13 FWC 09,13 Music 09 SSR-Tree 09 POR 10 12 Poly 10 (2) YC 10, BC 10, GF 10, AoA 13, OKW 13, Dream 11, next fwc 1/2014

  13. #12
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    Jun 2002
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    I stayed at the Poly once and really enjoyed it. The Wilderness Lodge is my deluxe of choice and is where I'll be staying in the foreseeable future
    Next WDW Trip: July 13 - 22, 2016 Wilderness Lodge

    "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow shining at the end of every day!"

    "Let's Don't be Silly..." - The Mad Hatter

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    We sort of felt the same was as the OP on our one and only stay at the Poly. We had been wanting to stay there for years, it is our favorite resort to visit, and I thought I'd fall completely in love with it and never be able to stay anywhere else.

    We did love it, and I'd love to stay again one day. Next time we'd like to stay in the warmer months and for the whole week, rather than in late Nov. and just for 3 nights. However, there were a few things that were disappointing to us. For one the bathroom in our room was definitely looking very worn, more so than any other resort we've stayed in. Everything was in working order, so no need to complain or ask to be moved, but it definitely looked like it needed a complete overhaul.

    We also felt the whole pool area was a bit small. It wasn't very hot, so the pool wasn't completely crowded, but I remember thinking "I would hate to see this place on a July afternoon".

    And also Captain Cook's had this awful smell everytime we went in there. It almost smelled like spoiled milk and my son refused to even go inside.

    We just felt that for the amount of money it costs to stay here there shouldn't have been so many small disappointments. Those bathrooms shoud be in tip top shape, and hopefully if the rumored total reno of the resort happens they'll figure out a way to enlarge the pool area and add a hot tub!
    Denise

    Resorts we've stayed at in 20+ trips: ASMo, ASMu, ASSp, PC, CSR, CBR, POR, POFQ, WL, AKL Jambo, AKL Kidani, Poly, Contemporary, BC, YC, BWV, OKW, SSR, Swan, Shades of Green, Vero Beach, Disneyland Resort

    Next Trip: ???

  15. #14
    Join Date
    May 2006
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    Charleston, SC
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    Good Post. For us with DD 10 and DS6 the Poly has always been a family resort with easy access to MK and great transportation to the other resorts. It's well maintained. Unfortunately, it's getting to expensive without a big discount and so far no big discounts are being offered this year so we are switching to the GF for this years vacation. Will hurry back under the right conditions......
    Keneva

    ---------------------------------
    WDW
    Aug 2022 CR Wing
    Aug 2014 BC & GF Club
    Aug 2012 Swan & Grand Floridian Club
    Aug 2010 Poly LVC
    Aug 2008 Poly LVC
    Aug 2006 CR Club
    Jan 2001 Poly LVC (Honeymoon)
    Oct 1995 Off-site

    DL
    1967-69 Several Visits (Green Lantern Motel?)

  16. #15
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Hitchhiking Ghost View Post
    I'd love to stay there, want to in the worst way, but we just booked a preliminary room only reservation for 10 nights at POR for Nov/Dec, I couldn't justify the add'l $3,000 to upgrade to the Poly. If money wasn't an issue, I'd do it, but I just haven't come across enough reasons to justify that kind of upcharge.

    If discounts are released for our time period maybe it will change, but I think it will be POR-AB.
    i have to tell you that although the Poly is my favorite, I also love Port Orleans. The atmosphere and greenery there are as lush as the Poly. Yes, there are differences, and the Poly is an upgrade in terms of room size and transportation, but for the price, I don't think you can go wrong with POR.
    Many visits over 35+ years!
    DVC member since 2004 (SSR)

    Stayed at: Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, Beach Club, Dolphin, PO Riverside, AS Sports, AS Movies, Saratoga, Vero Beach, Hilton Head, Aulani, Disneyland Hotel, and Grand Californian.

  17. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aurora View Post
    i have to tell you that although the Poly is my favorite, I also love Port Orleans. The atmosphere and greenery there are as lush as the Poly. Yes, there are differences, and the Poly is an upgrade in terms of room size and transportation, but for the price, I don't think you can go wrong with POR.
    Thanks. It seems we always talk about upgrading to a Deluxe but always end up back at Riverside, which we love. We've stayed at FQ and CBR as well, but Riverside is by far my favorite of the three.

    Now that we are a family of 5, we are very limited in our choices. I would love to stay at WL as a compromise, between deluxe and moderate, but with 5 don't I have to bump up to a suite or something there?

  18. #17
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    Good review! We love the Poly but I hav to say, I am biased because it was the first resort I ever stayed at on property. When my husband and I first visited together in 2001, we stayed here. I had wanted to stay at WL and I remember it was booked up. The travel agent suggested the Poly and I said well, OK. I honestly wasn't thrilled. I'd really fallen in love with WL from what I saw online and had my sights set on staying there.

    However from the moment we arrived everything was super- magical. They treated us like royalty! Everyone was friendly, they gave us leis and welcomed us. At the time there were 2 live parrots that live in the lobby and they were making noise ( I love parrots). Our room was huge and beautiful. We only had a garden view but it was lush with plants. We tried Ohana and fell in love with it, and we spent our first evening sharing a hammock on the beach together watching the fireworks from accross the lagoon. It was hard to go home from that trip! And, I don't think I've ever loved a resort stay more than that experience.

    We've stayed a few more times and it's always been my favorite and will have a special place in my heart. Since we joined DVC we rarely stay there now but sometimes we'll do a night or 2.
    Trips: Too Many to Count! Last Trips: April 2013 CSR; July 2013 Aloha Aulani, The Sequel, Hawaii. Multiple trips to WDW, DL, DCL!

    Coming up: September 2013 "Scary September" at Disneyland/DCA/Universal Hollywood.

    Proud DVC Members since 2004!

  19. #18
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    Jul 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aurora View Post
    I also love Port Orleans. The atmosphere and greenery there are as lush as the Poly. Yes, there are differences, and the Poly is an upgrade in terms of room size and transportation, but for the price, I don't think you can go wrong with POR.
    There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
    CR 74, 7, 11 Offsite 79,80,98,00,8 (2) Sports 94 DD 02 AKL 05, 08 AKLV 8 WL 6, 10 POP 07, 13 Movies 08 CBR 08 Swan 08 POFQ 08,11 CSR 08,13 FWC 09,13 Music 09 SSR-Tree 09 POR 10 12 Poly 10 (2) YC 10, BC 10, GF 10, AoA 13, OKW 13, Dream 11, next fwc 1/2014

  20. #19
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    Great review! Very objective. Lots of details.

    We've yet to stay at a monorail resort, but Poly is on our short list of resorts we'd like to try. Age of resort won't deter me. I think Disney does a good job with upkeep.

    As for resort location, Boardwalk is my favorite. Love the proximity to Epcot. Love all the shopping and excellent food choices near by.

    For our kids, I think I'd like to stay at Poly at least once, so they can be nearer to the Magic Kingdom.
    WDW - 99 Off Site
    WDW - 00 C.Springs, Wilderness
    WDW - 01 POFQ, Boardwalk
    WDW - 02 C.Beach, POFQ, AK Lodge
    WDW - 04 Riverside
    WDW - 05 C.Springs
    WDW - 07 Riverside
    WDW - 11 C.Beach
    WDW - 12 POFQ
    WDW - 14 Riverside
    WDW - 15 POFQ
    WDW - 19 Wilderness
    WDW - 20 C.Beach

  21. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Thanks for the review


    Dec.11-18, 2021 Port Orleans Riverside
    Jan. 25-Feb. 1, 2017, Port Orleans Riverside
    Oct. 29-Nov.4, 2014-Yacht Club
    Dec. 17-23 2011-Wilderness Lodge
    Dec. 20-30, 2008-Pop Century
    Dec. 25,2005-Jan.1, 2006-Coronado Springs
    Jan. 1-7, 2003-All Star Movies

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