We made our first trip to the Polynesian in August 2006, just coming off our 4-night cruise on the Disney Wonder. Prior to that, I had stayed here numerous times as a child with my parents (and spent countless hours in Moana Mickey's Fun Hut)!!
Upon arriving at the gate, we encountered problem number one. They couldn't find our name on the list
They just waved us thru anyway after looking at my ID. Upon check in, they couldn't find my reservation. Come to find out, our name was spelled wrong on the reservation (which I didn't catch) and once I presented my confirmation letter (see - always bring them with you) they found me!! One thing I liked about the check in was it appeared that the CM checking you in had the ability to choose the room right there for you. Everywhere else it has seemed that the room was pre-assigned. We were given a room in Fiji (I had paid for Garden View) and we were soon on our way!
One thing the Polynesian has going for it is the huge rooms
They had just refurbished the rooms not too long prior, so there was a flat panel TV, as well as updated bedding. We had plenty of room to store our belongings, and had a great room overlooking the luau area and the Wedding Pavillion at the GF. We did have an issue with housekeeping though. The desk that pulled out from under the counter was covered in sticky goo. One of the lights was out in the bathroom, and the bathroom fan had a constant dripping noise.
The Volcano pool at the resort is nice, however I would consider it quite small for a resort that size. Having stayed at both the BC and AKL where there were large pools, we were taken aback by the size. The kids did enjoy the slide, and having the zero point entry was a nice feature, especially with little ones. I needed to borrow a "bubble" for my DS, and they were only available from the marina (on which I had to leave an ID) and the marina was only open until 5. Again, just not what we were accustomed to at BC (where we had it for length of stay) or AKL (where there were boxes of them in the open).
At the time of our visit, Captain Cook's was under renovation, and the only option for quick meals was at the Tangaroa Terrace. The food was great and I had a yummy salad. It was just a bit of a walk from Fiji! This trip, we decided to cancel our ADR at 'Ohana, although we've eaten here in the past (for both breakfast and dinner) and always had a great meal. We've never made it to Kona Cafe yet......hopefully one of these years!! We also experienced the luau (something we always did as kids too). The kids had a great time, and we enjoyed great food too! I'd highly recommend it!
Being on the monorail line was convenient. And being able to walk back from the TTC was also a nice option that we did a number of times. This gives you accessibility to really two parks (Epcot and MK).
We got to watch Wishes from the beach a couple of times. This is a must do if you're staying here! We found the music to be louder in the marina area than the beach area, but it was still faint enough that you could follow along!
I think we just had a rough stay at the Polynesian and we'll have to give it another try! Here's a link to my trip report......it starts at post #70 for the Poly.
The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip Report - THREAD 3 REPORT COMPLETE Updated 11/6
Pros:
- Location
- Room Size
- Good Eats
Cons:
- Pool Size
- Expensive
- One Laundy area - opposite end of resort from where we were staying.