Polynesian Resort
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Reviewer's Name:
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Lisa White |
Reviewer's Email Address:
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aliciamarie.white@worldnet.att.net |
Rate / Night (for your stay):
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$198 |
Date(s) of Stay:
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May 25-May 28, 2001 |
Accommodation Used:
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Standard Room / Studio |
Accommodations Review:
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I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my stay at
the Polynesian. The resort certain shows some signs of age but
that is to be expected. Our room was located in the Tahiti longhouse
and was quite spacious. We had a balcony that overlooked a quiet
courtyard and was directly underneath one of the lighted torches
which made for beautiful and peaceful evenings. The room was
spotless and did not have a smell as I have heard some rooms
have. The staff was gracious and just about everyone said "Aloha"
to us as a greeting. I especially enjoyed the hidden Mickey's
in the shower curtain and the double sink (marble) area in the
bathroom. |
Why Did you Select This Resort for your Stay?
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I wanted to be on the monorail line and had a state discount
code that made this resort extremely affordable. Plus it is
my goal to stay at each deluxe resort at Disney. |
Room # and Location Description:
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Our room number was 3014 and was located in the Tahiti longhouse
which was a 2 minute walk to the Transportation and Ticket Center
and about a five minute walk to the Great Ceremonial House and
main volcano pool. |
Room Location Pros & Cons:
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Our room was ideally located and I would not hesitate to ask
for this longhouse (or the Tokelau longhouse) again. Immediately
around the corner from our building was the beach where you
could watch the fireworks show over the Castle or take the walking
path to the Grand Floridian. The Tahiti longhouse is a newer
building with larger rooms than some of the other longhouses.
The only negatives about the location was that it could be a
pain to walk to the Great Ceremonial House for refilling your
mugs or getting a monorail after all that walking in the parks
and our room happened to be the very last room all the way at
the end of the hall from the elevators. Other than that I cannot
think of anything else negative about the location. |
Check-In / Check-Out Comments:
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I was hoping for some of the famous Aloha spirit when we checked
in and of the two check-in CM's, we happened to get the one
that was not too happy to be at work that day. Our experience
was not unpleasant but the CM at the next station was certainly
more "into" her role. I had to ask for our leis and he did not
give me a print out statement -- not biggies but I was hoping
for someone a little more friendlier. The CM that took us in
a golf cart to our longhouse was extremely friendly and made
me forgot the check-in experience quickly. Check out was a breeze
because we did the express check out and bell services was there
right on time to get us to the Great Ceremonial House. That
guy was a hoot and made leaving Disney property not so bad. |
WDW Transportation Comments:
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The transportation was almost perfect this trip. It seemed
whenever we walked up to the monorail station one was coming.
The only real problems we had were with the buses. We waited
about 20 minutes for a bus to MGM and coming back from Downtown
Disney one night was truly a nightmare. We waited about 30 minutes
for a bus at a stop where they put 3 or 4 resorts together so
it was crowded and hot and people were not happy when one lone
GF/Polynesian/WL bus pulled up and there were clearly at least
2 bus loads of people waiting. Maybe I was spoiled by the frequency
of the monorails but we did not have good bus service this trip
at all. |
Restaurant / Lounge Review:
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Among our meals this trip, we ate at Le Cellier which comes
highly recommended on different internet sites. All I can in
the words of my teen son is ". . . that steak tasted like a
roast and not even a good roast like you'd make a home Ma."
We did not have a good meal there. And even with a ps we waited
over 1/2 hour to be seated. The cheddar cheese soup many rave
about was fair at best and for $4 for a small cup was certainly
not worth it. I had the surf and turf for $27 and when my son
saw how small my steak and lobster tail were, he sliced off
some of his New York strip for his poor old Ma. Needless to
say at $73 with tip for 2 people, we will NEVER eat their again!
We had a better meal at McDonalds and even though it was expensive
at least it tasted good. We also ate at 1900 Park Fare for breakfast
twice and loved it and also at the Garden Grille for breakfast
and loved it too. I was a bit disappointed that the Garden Grille
has stopped serving their wonderful cheese grits because we
were looking forward to having them again but oh well. It was
still a good meal. |
Pool Description / Comments:
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We did not have much pool time this trip but my son did spend
a couple of hours at the quiet pool and I sat in a lounge chair
reading a book. After a while, we were the only two people at
the pool and it was glorious alone time for us. The main pool
(volcano pool) was always crowded and noisy as can be expected
but it looked nice enough. We are simple people and just need
a big old rectangular pool to make us happy. |
What Suggestions Would you Give Anyone that is Considering
This Resort?
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Whether you have reserved a garden view or lagoon view room,
ask for a room in Tahiti. You will be guaranteed a room (lagoon
view) with a view of the castle or (garden view) a view of the
quiet courtyard and not the parking lot. Eat at the Kona Cafe
or 'Ohana. We missed our priority seating at 'Ohana and that
is one meal I wish we would have experienced. Finally, this
resort is totally relaxing and calming so take some time to
walk the grounds especially at night when the torches are lit
and the Hawaiian music is playing softly in the background.
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Other Comments:
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This is a perfect resort for couples without children or for
a family that wants some peace and quiet away from the parks.
I could not believe the noise level at the Grand Floridian (where
we stayed last year) this time around compared to the peace
and tranquility of the Polynesian. I think people just naturally
give respect to the tropical atmosphere at the Polynesian. I
know we felt almost like we were on a private island and I did
not get that feeling at the Grand Floridian. Don't get me wrong,
the Grand Floridian is a beautiful and wonderful resort hotel
but it does not invoke the quiet and calmness of the Polynesian.
If you are considering staying at the Polynesian on your next
visit, I don't think you will regret it and besides the Epcot
area resorts, you can't beat the transportation options. Aloha. |
