By Charlyn Keating
Hotels Expert, about.com
1. Location
Location may not be everything, but it sure
counts at the end of a long Disney day when your feet are worn out.
Guest rooms at Disney's Polynesian Resort are spread out in seperate low
buildings. The "best" building depends on you and your vacation plans:
- The Great Ceremonial House is the main building, where the restaurants (Kona Cafe, O'hana, and Captain Cook's) are located, along with the gift shops. On the second floor, the monorail takes you to the Magic Kingdom and the TTC (Transportation and Ticket Center). The Rarotonga and Niue buildings are the nearest ones to this main hub.
- [post_ads]The bus stop is where you'll be catching transportation to other theme parks like Disney's Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney and the water parks. Tangaroa Terrace and Rarotonga are adjacent to the bus stops.
- You can catch a direct monorail to Epcot from the TTC, which is a short walk from the Polynesian. Rapa Nui and Tahiti are the closest buildings to the TTC.
- Tuvalu, Fiji and Aotearoa are closest to the Grand Floridian, the wedding pavilion, Senses Spa and Luau Cove.
- If you're hoping for an upgrade to a view of Cinderella's Castle and the Seven Seas Lagoon, three buildings have waterfront views: Tuvalu, Hawaii and Tahiti.
For more details, check out this map of Disney's Polynesian Resort.
There
are no guarantees, but if you have a building preference, request it at
the time you reserve a room, then contact the Polynesian a few days
before your trip to request again.
2. Dining
Dining reservations have become critical at Disney World, ever since the Dining Plan
was introduced. It can be difficult to find a spot at lunch or dinner,
especially during peak season, without them. On top of that, the
Polynesian is home to some of Disney's most popular dining experiences,
the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show and the 'Ohana
character meal with Stich and friends. Captain Cook's is a casual
service spot where you can always grab a quick meal for breakfast, lunch
and dinner without a reservation. And we've been able to get into Kona
Cafe most of the times we tried, although the wait times can be a half
hour or more.
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Outside of the Polynesian, other popular dining venues include the new Be Our Guest restaurant in New Fantasyland (which, at the time of this writing, is booked six months in advance) and Le Cellier Steakhouse
in Epcot. My advice? Pick a few restaurants and book them as soon as
you book your trip. You don't need to arrange every meal in advance, but
make sure you book a few special ones, so your family won't be
disappointed.
3. Mugs?
As soon as you reach Captain
Cook's, you'll be faced with the question: should you purchase the
refillable mugs? This decision used to be a no-brainer. The mugs were
customized for each resort, so they were fun to collect as souvenirs.
You could fill them up an unlimited number of times at the soda
fountains. You could bring them back on your next Disney trip. And they
were less than $10.
Things have changed quite a bit over the
years. The new mugs have a standard design which doesn't vary from
resort to resort. They cost over $16 apiece. And they have an RFID chip
in them to prevent you from bringing them back to Disney World on a
subsequent trip and reusing them. I'm told they also block you from
filling them up more than once within a two-minute window, although I
didn't test that.
So are they worth it? It takes a bit of math now
to figure out. We ended up buying only one, for the soda junkie in our
family. The rest of us bought water bottles a la carte, and occasionally
borrowed the mug for a quick hot chocolate or iced tea. Your call on
this one.
4. Beach Fun
The beach at the Polynesian is
known for its view of Cinderella's Castle and the Seven Seas Lagoon.
One night when you are not at the theme parks late, make it a point to
visit the beach. You'll get a schedule on check-in of the activities
planned. One not-to-be-missed highlight is the Electrical Water Pageant,
a colorful floating parade over the water that's been charming guests
since Disney World's earliest days. You can catch the Wishes fireworks
show over the Magic Kingdom from the beach, sans crowd--from a hammock,
if you're lucky. The soundtrack is piped in over speakers on the beach.
And the resort hosts family movies on the beach, a fun and relaxing
treat.
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5. Get In on the Ground Floor
One of my
favorite tips for traveling with small and energetic children is to
request a ground-floor Garden View room at the Polynesian. They are the
lowest-rate room types, so you won't have a view of the Castle. What you
likely have is a patio leading to a lawn. It's a win-win: the kids can
run and play, you can sit. After all, this is a vacation.
