News Section
I have been writing news articles on my site for quite a few years now. My web site was created to be a place to read about the Polynesian but I also tried to have interesting stories or news about the resort. Sometimes it was news about what was going on or what might be happening in the future. Other times it was just stuff I thought my readers might find interesting.
This may be my last news article for a while based on the fact that I try and post more of the latest news or interesting stories and photos on my Facebook page. It is much easier for me to post or share other posts on Facebook instead of collecting it all and posting it once a month. For other information about the Polynesian Resort I am going to continue adding that to the pages of my web site so make sure you check back to see what has been updated. I am in the process of updating just about every page with new photos and info. I also have a backlog of stuff to add to my history section
Not spending the time to write these articles will allow me more time to update all the information on the pages. I have been updating and adding new floor plans showing the rooms in each building including the DVC buildings. I also have been adding photo albums to each page that links to my Flickr photo albums. As people send me photos from around the resort or views from their room I am adding them to the albums from my phone right away. The only problem with that is the room views I label with the room number only show up if you follow the link to the Flickr album. It will not show up if you click on the photo on my page. You can go to each album by clicking the link below the album. If you have a photo of your view you can email it to me to add to the longhouse albums or if you have photos of your food I have albums for all the bars and restaurants. You can send them to tikimanpages@gmail.com
I have also struggled lately with a lot of negativity that I have had to deal with surrounding the Polynesian resort. With all the changes at the resort there has been confusion, anger and frustration from guests and staff. I have some of my own frustrations at how things have transpired since all this construction started a couple of years ago.
My frustration is not really with all the changes to the resort but more about how long it has taken and how disorganized it has been. There has been poor communication with the staff and the guests and most projects have been rushed only to open with problems or lack of quality in the work done.
I know once all this is done and the problems are addressed it will be a great resort to spend your vacation at. I will continue to do what I can to keep the information up to date. This site and its collection of information would not be possible if it were not for so many people. I can’t thank everyone enough who helped me over the years.
I have met some of the people behind the ideas that have shaped this resort and they have a passion for the resort like many of us do. The hard part is getting all those ideas to survive through the process that Disney has and the budgets they allow.
There also has to be a culture that management creates with the staff that keeps them informed, happy and motivated to do a good job. I have seen this work very well in the past at this resort and longtime Cast Members tell me how great it was. When the Cast Members felt the “Aloha Spirit”, that carried over to the guest experience.
Once the Resort gets through the physical changes I think it will be much better for the Cast Members and the guests.
Disney Artist
Disney Artist Kevin-John is setting his paintbrushes in motion to create official Walt Disney World Art that is all things Tiki. Kevin-John’s Disney Art is available exclusively at Disney Parks and among the more popular are his depictions of the Haunted Mansion attraction. He will now direct his talents towards pieces that will include The Tiki Room, Tiki Birds and Tiki Gods. Look for this art in Disney Parks in late 2015. However, you can get your hands on some Kevin-John Tiki Art now by visiting his online studio store
http://kevinjohnstudio.tictail.com/
Changes in 2015
We started off the year with the lobby being back open but still a lot of construction going on. Opening back up the main part of the lobby made a big difference but there was still much more to be done. I visited in February and that was my last report. Many things have been completed since my visit and with the help of so many guests I have been able to keep up with the changes.
You will see below some of the new additions to the resort and the big question is when will it all end. Many of you know that Disney would rather I not share things I am told about future plans but they have publically announced that the last project should be done in early 2016. This project being the East Pool being turned into the Oasis pool. Hopefully this will be all for a few years. The East pool was originally scheduled to close when the Lava Pool opened but it was pushed off until July 13 so this may mean that the completing of the Oasis pool is pushed out. Contact Disney for any construction dates.
Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
The most positive thing to happen in the last few months was the opening of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. Trader Sam’s opening was going to be a big part of getting the resort back to a place people can enjoy. Officially Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace was to open on April 1 but a soft opening started in late March. It began with a few private showings for people that are part of Disney. There was also a 
media event that happened while the DVC area of the resort was being shown off also. Check out Jim Hayward’s article about the preview event.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/travel/say-aloha-to-disneys-revamped-polynesian-resort/nkpNs/
For the most part there was a lot of excitement and people liked what they saw. The long lines were a good indication of how interested people were in getting inside and seeing it. You could easily wait a few hours to get in. I even heard as long as 4 hours. As with everything else that has opened this year it seemed rushed and disorganized. Things were not completed on the construction side and mugs were not being available. Initially they were using some of the old Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar mugs (the Disneyland version of Trader Sam’s) . Trader Sam’s out West had changed their Uh Oa bowls, Zombie head and their Krakatoa mug October 2014. It looks like they must have had a stash of the old mugs. Cool thing for those in the East is they were able to get some of the 1st generation Enchanted Tiki Bar mugs.
As with everything there are mixed reviews of the food, drinks and decor but I think for the most part it is a hit. I have not seen it in person so I will hold my opinion for now but I have a good idea of what it will be like. I’ve known about it for long enough so nothing will be much of a surprise. I am curious as to what I will think of the Cast interaction. I will say that many people that I know from out west that have gone to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar often were not as impressed with the Grog Grotto. The most common complaint is the layout and lack of bar to sit at. The next most common complaint I hear is that the staff interaction is much different. Watching a few You Tube videos I have been sent I have to say that the show inside seems a little stiff and rehearsed. Not that the stuff they do at TSETB is totally natural and off the cuff but it seems a little more genuine. With that said I still think it will be fun as long as they keep the (Hashtag) stuff to a minimum. People can tell when you are having fun with them or having fun at the guest’s expense. I look forward to seeing this up close a few times this summer.
I think putting Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at the Polynesian and not some other location on property was the smartest thing I have seen Disney do since I have been going. I know it is a big hit and every night many people find it to be their happy place. I look forward to enjoying it and the Tiki Terrace. It may already have its critics but it seems more people enjoy it than not.
I have created a new page in my Dining section for Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto with information and soon there will be a photo album at the bottom of the page. Send in your photos and I will add them to the album.
http://www.tikimanpages.com/poly/the-resort/dining/item/205-trader-sams-grog-grotto
Disney Vacation Club
We also saw the long awaited Disney Vacation Club Villas & Bungalows open up. They opened up the bungalows and two out of the 3 longhouses that were being converted.
I was down in February to look at and purchase DVC because I could not purchase here in California. I have known about the details for DVC for a few years now so again, nothing was a surprise. I was never much of a fan of DVC for myself until I realized how much hotel price will be in the next few years. I update my site every year with the new rack rates and it is already too expensive. I realized if I bought into DVC that we would spend that money on a room in the new 10 years or less. I understand I am just giving my money to Disney in advance and I don’t really own anything but I will still save quite a bit if I keep visiting Disney properties over the next 10 years. If I find that it was not worth the cost than I can always sell it. I will say that I am shocked at the negativity of not only non-DVC guests but Cast Members who have openly made rude comments about DVC members and DVC ruining the Polynesian. I don’t see either of those statements to be accurate.
I hear that DVC owners expect to be treated better and want more. Well I have seen that kind of attitude from non DVC members and to take a few people that might have the wrong attitude and label all DVC owners the same is just ignorant. That would be like me running into a rude Cast Member and telling people that all Cast Members are rude.
As for DVC ruining the resort, I get how people see a lot of change and blame it on DVC. The only significant change that I can see from DVC that I feel negatively impacted the resort were the location of the Bungalows. While I don’t see them as totally ruining the resort I do think they were poorly placed. The only guests not affected by their location are guests staying in a bungalow. As for DVC ruining anything else I don’t see it. The removal of the waterfall had nothing to do with DVC construction and neither did most of the other changes. Many of the projects that are taking place or took place where planned for years before they even decided to build DVC at the resort. They have been talking about the removal of the waterfall in the lobby for the better part of the last decade. Changes to the pools and common areas also had nothing to do with DVC. Some are upset that the longhouses are no longer hotel rooms but you can still book them with cash and they still sleep 5 with additional amenities not found in the regular rooms.
Unfortunately the opening of the DVC part of the property was sort of lackluster. There was a small ceremony out at the beach and nothing the day of opening. The comments from people that checked in that day were that they seemed very confused and unorganized. Many of the rooms have already has construction issues. It seems like this was another thing that was rushed to open even after how long it has been under construction. They built the whole resort in much less time but then again they did not have guests to try and work around.
I have been getting so many reports from people since day one of opening and it is really a mixed bag of opinions. There are quite a few people that are very happy with the new rooms, property and their visit but there are also very strong negative feelings from some about the room issues and service at the resort. I have had quite a few say they will never be back. From what I see they have done a great job with the grounds round the DVC buildings and I really liked the rooms personally but they do have some bugs to work out. The biggest problem people seem to have is the showers not draining properly and other water leaks. There were also some rooms that had the paint peeling off the tubs. It seems that instead of purchasing new tubs for the studios they just painted over the old tubs. I can’t fault them too much for that if they had done a better job of actually resurfacing the tubs. The photo someone sent me had huge strips of paint coming off all over the tub. Hopefully they will get these things fixed soon.
Others that were there during the first days experienced construction noise on the Grilling area right outside their balcony. This area is now completed and looks great. I don’t know how often it will be used but it is a nice area to have. It was explained by DVC and a statement from the resort that it was a DVC owner use area. Once it opened guests were told anyone could use it and there was nothing to keep anyone from going up and using it.
Many of the offerings that were going to be at the resort for DVC members only seem to have been taken out of the plan. I know now I am sounding like one of those nasty DVC members that want to be treated different. Well I am paying money to Disney that regular guests of the resort are not paying, like yearly dues. There really is no benefit that I can see yet to being a DVC member at the Polynesian other than hopefully it will save me money. At this point there is no benefit to being able to book before others because there has been no problem for non-DVC members booking a studio or a bungalow. The grilling area was mentioned at the DVC preview as a DVC perk but it is open to all Polynesian Village guests. I guess all you get is a laundry room and no housekeeping for your dues. I won’t even get into what else they were going to add for DVC members that got cut.
Do I sound upset. Well I am. I think they rushed DVC to open, they had nothing to make the opening day exciting for the first guests, the Cast Members seem to not be fond of DVC or the owners (this is the impression people are getting that can hear comments from some Cast Members) and there really is no incentive to own there. I’m hoping this changes as time goes on and problems are fixed. I also hope that the DVC members that are giving the rest of us a bad reputation stop acting like you are better than anyone else.
I do have high hopes for the resort and its changes and I look forward to future stays in the Studios.
Lava Pool
The other anticipated opening was the renovated pool area. The Nanea Volcano pool built in 2001 has now become the Lava pool and Kiki Tiki splash play area. I still think it should have been called the Keiki Tiki area since Keiki is Hawaiian for child. Overall I like what they did but this was another “rush to open” and the reports are another mix of good and bad.
The pool deck area was expanded and has many more seats. While tables with umbrellas are limited there really was not that many on the old pool deck. I think they could have added some umbrellas in between some of the lounges but at this point they have not. Also the cabanas that were to be installed at the end of the project have been delayed in completing or possible canceled. The pool itself did not change shape or depth and the slide did 
not change but the rock formation around it did. The waterfall off the side of the rocks was reduced because of life guard visibility of that part of the pool.
They also added the kid’s splash area. The sign for the splash area says it is for children under 48 inches and they must be supervised but they are allowing bigger kids in the area except on the very small slide. If the bigger kids get to rowdy the lifeguards will have them leave the splash area.
Another addition to the pool area is the new infinity hot tub. This hot tub was scheduled to go in back in 2011 but got pushed out in the schedule. It had its problems early on. We were posting daily reports on if it was open or not during the first few weeks. Lately it seems to be running properly. While you can’t view fireworks from it (who picked that location?) it is a nice view and you may be able to see some of the Electrical Water Pageant. Kids under 12 are not allowed in the hot tub without an adult and lifeguards have often removed groups of kids until a parent returned with them.
You will also notice a new large building next to the marina. This is the location for the boat rentals and some additional bathrooms for the pool area. The bathrooms are only accessible if you have a magic band with a room reservation just like the gate itself to the pool area is.
I’m sure many of you have seen the whole debate about the gate. I will start by saying that the gate was necessary to bring the pool up to code and all Disney pools will have gates eventually. Even the new Oasis pool (replacing the east pool) will have a gate when it is done. My opinion on the whole use of the resort areas by non-Polynesian resort guests is simple. If you don’t pay to stay at the resort, you should not be using the amenities. The official policy is that the pools and beaches of the resort are for Polynesian Resort guests only. There used to be posted signs but they decided they were not going to try and enforce this rule. They have attempted to enforce this over big weekends like 4th of July or New Years but checking ID exiting the Great Ceremonial House or even asking for ID around the resort and on the beach.
We can debate what rules we like and don’t like. We can go to Disney forums and find ways to beat the system and how some rules are ridiculous but here is my take on it all. If Disney or any other property owner wants to have a rule I am going to do my best to abide by them. Especially when I have my kids with me. I am not going to show them that I pick and choose what rules to follow but you are free to set whatever example you want for your kids.
The gate to the pool seems to have helped with the overcrowding and lack of places to sit. Once the East pool is turned into the Oasis pool with a new pool, hot tub and bar and grill it will also be inside a fence but its bar will not be accessible from outside the gate like half of the Barefoot Bar is.
I personally think the new pool area is a big improvement and I know my kids will love it. Once the Oasis Pool is done I see the Polynesian as having great options to cooling down and relaxing at the resort.
Something that was tried in the past and did not last long is pool side service. They are testing it out again and the menu of items is posted on my pool page.
http://www.tikimanpages.com/poly/pools
The amount of servers and the hours they are out there seems to change a little depending on how much it is being used.
Tokelau Reopens
One of the best longhouses is back open as of July 1.
Tokelau was the first expansion of the Polynesian resort back in 1978. They decided to move away from the offsite room construction and stacking of the rooms when they built Tokelau. Opening in 1978 as Oahu (renamed in 1999) it had larger rooms and larger hallways. It also had balconies on both upper floors unlike the original longhouses. There 
was also a mix of test rooms inside Tokelau. They wanted to see what type of room worked the best so some rooms have a bathroom with a double sink or some had a vanity outside the bathroom. When it comes to requests for a longhouse to stay in for people that have never been, Tokelau was always a safe bet. Telling someone what longhouse they will enjoy if they have never been is tough to do because it is based on personal preference for the most part. What I may like might not be what someone else does. Often I won’t even tell someone what to request because I have no idea what they were prefer. Tokelau was always a good suggestion because it is in a good central location to everything. Nothing is a long walk from Tokelau. Also the rooms are big and there is no worry about getting a room without a balcony. The major incentive to requesting Tokelau is the rooms on the west side can offer a sideways view of the castle and fireworks. Not bad for a standard view room.
When DVC first started to close longhouse to be converted, Rapa Nui and Tahiti were the only two longhouses that closed. Tokelau had just been renovated inside with the new room design. The paint had hardly dried on the walls before they decided to pull everything out of Tokelau rooms and close it to be converted. It was not in the original plan but it seems that something made Disney decide to add more studios. These studios can still be booked using cash but they are all DVC Deluxe studios. This completes the DVC construction at the resort…..for now.
Polynesian Tiki
The Iconic Polynesian symbol does have a name. For many years people wondered what the little tiki guy that is all over the Polynesian resort since the beginning had a name. I have asked many over the years if they knew. The answer lately from Imagineers is “Poly Tiki”. To me that sounded like a name made up because the original name was lost. Disney is not very good at passing down history. They are extremely good as hiding it away and having it be forgotten. This is a perfect example of that. I even visited Oceanic Arts and talked to them about it. They 
did most of the original artwork, carvings and signs. Many of these things included the little tiki guy on it. They said they did not know the name and they did not come up with the design. It was given to them by Disney. Recently a document was shared with me that How Bowers got from a Cast Member that was at the resort in the 70’s. The validity of this document has come into question because even now Imagineers are saying the name of the symbol is “Poly Tiki” but based on the opinion of some people I know from that time at the resort and the fact that it looks similar to early documents I have from the resort , my guess is that it is real. I know many of the documents I have got stuffed away and have never been seen or saved. If I had not gotten copies of these documents they would have been lost also. Much of my history section came from these early documents. There are certain details about this document that make me believe it is real but I won’t share what details but someone would have to know a lot about the early documents at the resort to fake this.
So what did the document about the little guy that Imagineering call “Poly Tiki” and the online community call “Tiki Shrug” say his name is? The document names him Maui and tells one of many versions of the legend of Maui. It makes sense now. The Maui tiki always has some representation of the sun above him and as you see with the Polynesian Village version it looks as if his head is surrounded by the sun. There is a long and detailed history of Maui and how its story is told throughout the Polynesian islands (not just Hawaii) but the short version is that Maui threw a rope around the sun to slow it down and make it stay over the island of Maui to make the summer longer and the winter shorter. Maui Tikis I have seen usually have a figure holding the sun over his head and not so much of it being around his head as is represented by the Polynesian Village icon or the Maui Tiki at the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, but just like most of the Tikis found around the resort, they are more of a Disney representation instead of a replica of actual Polynesian Tikis.
I guess unless we meet the creator of the icon we will never know for sure what his name was but I believe in the document that was shared with me and for me he will be Maui.
4Th of July
The 4th of July at the Polynesian has always been special to me. For quite a few years it was the time we were there. With our Anniversary on June 30 and my birthday on July 8 we would go and celebrate all 3 events. Many know that the view of the fireworks from the Polynesian beach is amazing.
This can be an exciting time to be at the resort with many special things being offered that you will only see around this holiday. Last year they introduced the Shave Ice at Kona Island and it stuck around. They also has special drinks just for the holiday. You never know what they will have each year and this year may have more surprises.
With this being such a popular spot there ends up being a big crowd. Officially the beach is always for use of Polynesian Resort guests only (yes there were signs posted) but we know that is not usually enforced. On big holidays like the 4th of July and New Years it is a little different.
Officially on the 4th of July there are no guests allowed to park at the Polynesian unless they have a room or dining reservation. Also beach access it limited to Resort Guests only.
Now we all know that not everyone on the beach is a resort guests and many don’t know or care about the rule. I have been either there or reporting about the 4th of July for the last 16 4th of July’s. You will hear all different opinions on what goes on. I posted above the official rules but what actually happens can be quite different.
I have observed while being there on the 4th having my I.D. checked to see if I was a resort guest while getting on the resort loop monorail going from the Magic Kingdom on the 4th. We were also checked leaving the back doors of the Great Ceremonial House. Staff or Security were in golf carts going along the path at the beach and randomly checking I.Ds. We also were checked while driving in the guest return at the main entrance to see if our Drivers License matched our room key name. The Pool area was randomly checked also.
We all know this did not keep all non-resort guests out. The early years were not bad but later before we stopped going we had 4th of July evenings where all our chairs were taken off our patio and put on the beach. Another year the staff found most of the chairs down at one room that locals booked for just the night. The last year we went we were sitting on the patio and enjoying the start of the show. Shortly after it started a group walked across the 20 feet of grass and stood 2 feet in front of us blocking the entire view. After that trip we decided the stress of the day was more than the excitement.
Last year there were a few new things to add to the mix. You had much of the beach line blocked by construction. You also had new portable scanners (preparing for Magic Bands). On July 3 I was told by some people who work the resort of all the plans they had to limit access to the beach and use these new portable scanners to check people. They were going to scan and possibly give out wrist bands. They also added another level of security to the Club Level Lounge. You could not just scan the door open and walk in with a group. Each person was scanned as they went into the Hawaii Longhouse. They also set up a roped off area for club level guests with seats so they were assured a spot on the beach to view. I hear they are doing this again this year.
This year they sound like they are ready for the challenge this July 3rd and 4th. The staff working the gates and even out in the parking lot will be turning away anyone without a room or dining reservation. There will be no access to the parking lot with out one of those things. Also the “sled” that is used to scan bands had issues last year but they are resolved this year and they will be using it to scan people outside of the Great Ceremonial House. There are some other things they will have in place but I will not mention them in this report.
I know that it is a great time for many every year to be at the resort and every year I have faith that management will step up and enforce the rules they have in place to make it a better experience for guests of the Polynesian Village. They have the capability of doing a better job than they have. I will say that they do a very good job out at the parking lot. It is very difficult to get into the parking lot even as a guest of the resort.
If you are there on the 4th or even the 3rd you will have some special things to look forward to. Obviously the fireworks. They are bigger and longer than your normal show. The With the fireworks also launching from the islands in the lagoon and the Electrical Water Pageant in front of the Polynesian during the show (exclusively) it is a great spot to enjoy them.
For those in Club Level you will not only have the reserved area of the beach to use but you will have special food offerings in the lounge. Those items will be: chicken wings with hot sauce hot dogs (ketchup, mustard, relish provided), baked beans, Luau salad (mixed greens, mandarin oranges, Mango Poppy seed dressing), cubed cheese & cracker (cheddar, swiss, monterey jack, pepper jack), peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. For dessert we will have brownies, apple tarts, cheery tarts, and pretzel sparklers. Other fun activities will be around the resort and you never know what other surprises.
Tikifest
Some of you may remember Tikifest. Years ago many people that read my site or love the Polynesian wanted to all get together at the Polynesian to share stories and just hang out. Eventually we organized an event. Here is my trip report from that vacation.
http://www.tikimanpages.com/poly/news/trip-reports/item/166-2007-july-tikifest-i
Michele at Magical Vacations Travel was an attendee at our second Tikifest and eventually took over ownership of Magical Vacations Travel. She is always trying to get another one together. Keep checking back for news about next Summer. There might be something special going on.
Magical Vacations guests
I think many of my site visitors already know that I do all this for those of you out there who love the resort or dream of staying there. It really is the only reason I do it. I know there are some of us that appreciate the history of this resort and look forward to its future. It is a lot of hard work keeping up the site and so many people make it possible by supplying photos and information. Others have been nice enough to show their appreciation by donating to my site. Michele at Magical Vacations has been a supporter of my site since before she owned Magical Vacations. She wants to offer a special gift to those who donated to my site and book through Magical Vacations. If you are someone who has, please let me know by sending me an email with the name the donation and the booking is under to tikimanpages@gmail.com
Magic happens
There are so many great stories that I have shared on my site about how Cast Members have made a difference during a guests visit and many that we never hear about.
Even when there is talk about Disney not caring anymore or never doing anything magical, I know special things still go on and many that work there do care. We just hear more of the bad experiences than the good. A few things happened this last week that show me that staff and management at the resort do care. If you read my Facebook page you saw the people get evacuated out of Pago Pago because of a fire alarm going off. There were some legitimate complaints about what happened but in the end Disney came through. People started to complain about Disney before they got a chance to do anything but in the end a nice set of gifts were given to those affected. Was this because of the Social Media comments? I like to think it was something they did not because of the people reporting online about the incident.
Other magical things happen all the time and it is especially nice to see it happen to a family that really could use some magic.
Magical Vacations recently contacted the Polynesian to let them know about a family that was going to be taking a once in a lifetime trip with their daughter that has been dealing with multiple surgeries. With an uncertain future they wanted to make some memories and give her something to enjoy after dealing with so many difficult situations. Magical Vacations wanted to see how they could purchase some special items to be in the room for the family when they arrived. The Polynesian staffs assisted in making this happen and added some magic of their own. Here is the report from the family.
“My husband and I just surprised our 3 kids with a Magical trip to Disney. We were so excited to be staying on the monorail once again, this time staying at the Disney’s Polynesian Resort. I emailed the concierge in advance of our trip, noting that this trip was extra special to our family. One of our 3 1/2 year old twins has gone through tremendous health struggles since she was born, and this trip was a celebration of a final surgery allowing our daughter to travel without the need for as high of a level of medical equipment. We wanted to make sure we had 
a car at the resort, so when we pulled through the gates, the security officer had called in to the resort that our family had arrived. When we pulled in, instantly we the staff greeted us and said, “just stay in your car, we will take care of everything.” They did just that. The concierge greeted the kids with leis, Stitch stuffed animals, and new magic bands… Frozen themed for our girls, Lightening McQueen for my son, and of course Mickey and Minnie for my husband and myself. Our stroller that we rented through Kingdom Strollers was brought to the front as well, decorated with a balloon for each of the kids! They advised us to keep one balloon on the stroller for when we went to the parks, so that we knew that stroller was ours for when we parked it, what a great tip, it was very helpful!
We were escorted through the Lobby to the club level and received an abbreviated tour of the newly renovated Lobby. There was so much to see, I couldn’t focus on just one thing. The most notable part for me (and my girls!) was stopping before the exit of the Lobby to see Cinderella’s Castle in the distance. It gave me chills, and felt truly magical. We walked past the pool and kid’s water play area. (Note, adults can’t go down the kiddie water slide, not that I am speaking from experience ). As we approached the Hawaii Building (which I assume is where the club level members stay), our oldest daughter got to try out her new magic band to enter the building. So cool! Our kids were greeted with coloring books, crayons, and Disney buttons all that fit snugly into a sand bucket. As if that wasn’t enough, when we entered our room, our luggage was already there and there were 4 packages in our room! We hadn’t even been to Disney for 15 minutes and already all of us had enough magic to last us for years.
The resort gave each child personalized Mickey Mouse ears and an autograph book signed by the Mouse himself. My daughter who had suffered the medical issues, also had an autographed photo of Donald Duck by her package. As for my husband and me, we were given a package of chocolates and two wine glasses with sparkling juice to celebrate.
The resort went above and beyond to make our trip extra special. One night after we came back from seeing the Frozen Sing Along Celebration at Hollywood Studios, we were surprised with an Elsa cake to share while watching the fireworks from our room. They also gave my son an extra pair of Lightening McQueen Mickey Mouse ears, and my daughters flowered headbands as a separate surprise.
We didn’t take advantage of much of the planning services, as we took Disney at our own pace due to the weather being hot, and also not knowing the endurance of our child with the medical history.
The last part I would like to commend the resort about was that when we were about to leave, unfortunately our daughter got sick. They helped us with all of the different types of medical care around the parks and around Orlando, even beyond. They approved a late checkout for us so that we could have time figuring out what would best suit our family in taking care of our daughter. We hastily packed our suitcases and forgot to repack a whole drawer of clothes. When we noticed, we called the resort’s Lost and Found. Within 24 hours they located the clothes and called to tell us they would mail them back home.
I
was very impressed with the Polynesian Resort. From my understanding it was all newly renovated. The resort was beautiful and the staff really went out of their way to make our trip simply wonderful. I highly suggest staying here if you never have before. I promise you will be very impressed with all the service you will receive! Mahalo!”
This goes to show you that there are still great people that work for Disney and want to make magic happen for people visiting the resort. The Cast Members and management involved in making this happen did an amazing thing to make this a memorable trip for this family. Holly at Magical Vacations also did an amazing job of making sure things went well and even sent the cake. She did not want me to mention her contribution because she wanted to focus to be on the family but I think it needed to be mentioned.
I hope that things go well for Chloe and if you want to follow her story you can visit her page. https://faithinchloe.wordpress.com/
Concepts that never happened
There are many things that were planned since the resort opened that never happened. Even with the recent additon of Disney Vacation Club, many things changed from the original concept.
I have seen many concepts over the years that would have been great and never happened. There were many parts of the early concept for the changes that involved adding DVC to the property that changed before they started construction. Most of those you may have seen discussed and wonder what happened to them. Even the new area behind the Great Ceremonial House was going to have a new fire pit area and the Gathering Place (grass area) was going to be the location for the movies. Both of those things changed at the last minute but can be seen in these construction layouts.
The original plans for the Volcano pool when it was built in 2001 was to have part of the slide open and not all inside a closed tube. Other concepts for the front of the resort have come and gone and never happened. Years ago there was a plan to make the East pool a different design with a zero entry and a rock formation was discussed. When it closed years ago we figured that was the start of the concept but it ended up they just resurfaced the pool deck and made the pool shallow.
Often people hear about these concepts but since they don’t see them for themselves they think that it was just a false rumor. Many times what people dismiss as a rumor was actually a very real concept that was being proposed.
