Thursday, September 30, 2010

disney’s polynesian resort

Our favorite hotel – no question about it. It is indeed over the top expensive, but there are ways around that. We had a PIN code for this trip. (Sign up for Disney’s emails, etc., and they occasionally email or snail mail discount codes. Forty percent off rack rate? Yeah baby.) How do I love thee, Polynesian? Let me count the ways.

It’s a tropical paradise, truly. I know it’s in Florida and by definition, a tropical paradise, but the Poly is beautifully themed. If you have never stayed at a Disney-owned hotel, trust me, it is worth the price. The magic never ends, as they say.* The lobby is breathtaking. Click to enlarge this photo to see my kids downstairs – we were upstairs. And that, folks, is the magic of having older kids with cell phones. This was the first vacation that didn’t leave me in constant fear of abduction.

kids in poly lobby

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The boy at the top of the volcano pool slide:

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And at the bottom:

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I picked up a hot guy at the pool. It’s Florida; it happens.

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In addition to the hotel’s theme, I can highly recommend the Poly because of its location, the fact that it’s on the monorail loop and because the rooms are huge, relatively speaking. We spend the vast majority of our Disney time at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The monorail runs right up to the Great Ceremonial House (hotel’s main building) and provides unmatched ease of access to MK. (I know there is a walking path from the Contemporary to MK, but in my opinion, the Contemporary can’t compare to the Poly.) We stayed in the Tahiti building and I highly recommend it. We have stayed there before and couldn’t be happier with the location. It’s far enough away from the luau and the volcano pool to avoid the noise associated with both, but very convenient to everything. It is also quite close to the Ticket and Transportation Center, which has a direct monorail to Epcot. Awesome.

From the Poly’s beaches, you can watch the Electrical Water Pageant and (even better) the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. White sand beaches, hammocks, palm trees AND fireworks? A little taste of heaven on earth.

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*If I had to choose between staying off-site and staying home, obviously I would be happy to hold up at the Kissimmee Motel or some such place. But if you can, stay on Disney property.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Chris we couldn't agree more! Our trips to Disney feel much more like a true "vacation" when we get the chance to stay at the Poly. It is so relaxed and comfortable and we love how you can just park your car and forget it lol. Just use the monorail, boats or walk! Great pics and thanks for taking me back to some happy times this morning.

Imene said...

Wow!! thank god I'm reading this while my kids are napping otherwise I would have to book a stay right away ;o)

MaricrisG said...

It was fun staying at the Polynesian! I wish to go back there. Are you going to attend the next Disney Social Media Mom event? Would love to see you again.