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News around the resort
Beginning Sunday 01-11-09 The Polynesian Marina , the "Mikala Canoe Club" will be changing its operating hours to 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The last rental will go out at 5:00 PM, and will have to return no later than 5:30 PM.
Surrey Bike Rentals will be unchanged and beginning at 10:00 AM till 5:00 PM.
The Grand Floridian pool is closed and guests from the Grand Floridian are allowed to use the Polynesian pool while it is closed but both Polynesian pools will be open.
There is a lot of work going on this time of year and some reports back are from people that are not happy with all the maintenance going on, which is understandable, but this is the time of year they do a lot of work on the resort.
Honest reporting
So I have been getting emails that people are deciding not to stay at the Polynesian because of my reports lately. I can understand why you might be hesitant but I also worry I am turning people away from a good resort. Over the years I have been told that I only report the good things about the Polynesian but I try and be fair in my reports and just tell people what I observe. In the past I always have something I was critical of but for the most part did not have much negative to report. In more recent years I have seen some problems with management and who ever makes the decisions outside the resort on what to add and what to cut. Lately the things they are reducing to help save money and the trend of outsourcing many of the Disney positions to offsite companies I feel has taken away from the quality of the resort but than those problems are not exclusive to the Polynesian.
I like to think that some of the bad decisions that were corrected later were partially due to people speaking up so that is why I try and report what I see, good or bad. I know it is going to be a tough year for Disney to add things to improve on the guests experience with limited budgets but hopefully the management will be creative with the money they have and train the staff to have a positive and welcoming interaction with the guests. I know in the past when something has really been a problem at the resort they have done something to remedy the problem.
With that said I hoping that 2009 will be a better year for the resort and its guests.
Thank you to all who have shared your experiences at the resort with me. It gives me a better idea of what is going on at the resort all year long.
With the response to Kaleo being let go from budget cuts I have heard rumors that they might bring him back. Lets hope they do and lets hope he wants to return.
Tikifest 2009
Here are some early details about Tikifest 2009. Due to the affects of the economy on people we have changed this year’s Tikifest to be a desert/ cordials party at a private area on the water in Italy at Epcot. They close off the whole area at the water where the gondolas are and set up deserts and cordials for the guests. The cost of the dinner at the Living Seas has gone up quite a bit so we thought this would be a better idea for most, especially those with kids.
We will still have a drawing giving some stuff away but we are thinking of doing that at the Polynesian Beach one night. You will get raffle tickets when you get your Tikifest bracelets and you can use those to put into the raffle for items like at last Tikifest.
The date had to be changed from the 5th to the 6th of August due to availability of the location at Italy . This will be similar to the desert party Magical Vacations did last year that was a big hit (any people tried to bribe their way into when they saw the event from the walkway). There will be more details about the prizes and party soon.
Here is the price and menu at this point. There will also be group rate discounted rooms at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Beach Club for travel around the Tikifest date.
Private Illuminations and Desert party
$55.41 for ages 10+
Child price (ages 3-9) is $29.64. This includes the tax and service charge.
Event starts at 8PM with one hour dessert and beverage service until 9PM. At 9PMIlluminations will start. Held at the beautiful Isola West Plaza in Italy . Wristbands will be issued to those guests attending, as this is a private, pre-paid event for guests.
The adult menu consists of:
*if there is anyone with a special dietary restriction, please let us know and we will be happy to arrange a pre-plated sugar-free dessert for you.
For kids ages 3-9:
“Make Your Own Dessert” bar, which includes:
Registration for the Dessert Party will open on February 1st. Please send your check to “Magical Vacations”. (we are sorry but we cannot accept credit cards for the dessert party).
http://www.magicalvacationstravel.com/mv/walt-disney-world/agency-exclusives-wdw/85-august-2009-tikifest
If you can’t join us in August but you are considering traveling in May Magical Vacations also has discounts for Polynesian Garden view, Garden View Concierge and Lagoon View Concierge rooms, and Contemporary Tower Themepark View for May. See Magical Vacations site for these discount rates that are not offered through any other travel agent.
Room Requests
For those of you who want to know how the Polynesian does room requests, here is some info.
Rooms are typically assigned in order based upon the following:
Beginning Sunday 01-11-09 The Polynesian Marina , the "Mikala Canoe Club" will be changing its operating hours to 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The last rental will go out at 5:00 PM, and will have to return no later than 5:30 PM.
Surrey Bike Rentals will be unchanged and beginning at 10:00 AM till 5:00 PM.
The Grand Floridian pool is closed and guests from the Grand Floridian are allowed to use the Polynesian pool while it is closed but both Polynesian pools will be open.
There is a lot of work going on this time of year and some reports back are from people that are not happy with all the maintenance going on, which is understandable, but this is the time of year they do a lot of work on the resort.
Honest reporting
So I have been getting emails that people are deciding not to stay at the Polynesian because of my reports lately. I can understand why you might be hesitant but I also worry I am turning people away from a good resort. Over the years I have been told that I only report the good things about the Polynesian but I try and be fair in my reports and just tell people what I observe. In the past I always have something I was critical of but for the most part did not have much negative to report. In more recent years I have seen some problems with management and who ever makes the decisions outside the resort on what to add and what to cut. Lately the things they are reducing to help save money and the trend of outsourcing many of the Disney positions to offsite companies I feel has taken away from the quality of the resort but than those problems are not exclusive to the Polynesian.
I like to think that some of the bad decisions that were corrected later were partially due to people speaking up so that is why I try and report what I see, good or bad. I know it is going to be a tough year for Disney to add things to improve on the guests experience with limited budgets but hopefully the management will be creative with the money they have and train the staff to have a positive and welcoming interaction with the guests. I know in the past when something has really been a problem at the resort they have done something to remedy the problem.
With that said I hoping that 2009 will be a better year for the resort and its guests.
Thank you to all who have shared your experiences at the resort with me. It gives me a better idea of what is going on at the resort all year long.
With the response to Kaleo being let go from budget cuts I have heard rumors that they might bring him back. Lets hope they do and lets hope he wants to return.
Tikifest 2009
Here are some early details about Tikifest 2009. Due to the affects of the economy on people we have changed this year’s Tikifest to be a desert/ cordials party at a private area on the water in Italy at Epcot. They close off the whole area at the water where the gondolas are and set up deserts and cordials for the guests. The cost of the dinner at the Living Seas has gone up quite a bit so we thought this would be a better idea for most, especially those with kids.
We will still have a drawing giving some stuff away but we are thinking of doing that at the Polynesian Beach one night. You will get raffle tickets when you get your Tikifest bracelets and you can use those to put into the raffle for items like at last Tikifest.
The date had to be changed from the 5th to the 6th of August due to availability of the location at Italy . This will be similar to the desert party Magical Vacations did last year that was a big hit (any people tried to bribe their way into when they saw the event from the walkway). There will be more details about the prizes and party soon.
Here is the price and menu at this point. There will also be group rate discounted rooms at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Beach Club for travel around the Tikifest date.
Private Illuminations and Desert party
$55.41 for ages 10+
Child price (ages 3-9) is $29.64. This includes the tax and service charge.
Event starts at 8PM with one hour dessert and beverage service until 9PM. At 9PMIlluminations will start. Held at the beautiful Isola West Plaza in Italy . Wristbands will be issued to those guests attending, as this is a private, pre-paid event for guests.
The adult menu consists of:
- Tiramisu
- Cheesecake
- Chocolate Éclair
- Pistachio Cannoli
- Chocolate Fudge Brownies
- Linzer Diamonds
- Cream Horns
- Fruit Tarts
*if there is anyone with a special dietary restriction, please let us know and we will be happy to arrange a pre-plated sugar-free dessert for you.
For kids ages 3-9:
“Make Your Own Dessert” bar, which includes:
- Assorted Home Style Cookies
- Plain Cupcakes Served with Vanilla and Chocolate Icings
- Jimmies, Nuts, Candy Pieces, Cookie Crumbs and Cherries
- Fruit Punch
Registration for the Dessert Party will open on February 1st. Please send your check to “Magical Vacations”. (we are sorry but we cannot accept credit cards for the dessert party).
http://www.magicalvacationstravel.com/mv/walt-disney-world/agency-exclusives-wdw/85-august-2009-tikifest
If you can’t join us in August but you are considering traveling in May Magical Vacations also has discounts for Polynesian Garden view, Garden View Concierge and Lagoon View Concierge rooms, and Contemporary Tower Themepark View for May. See Magical Vacations site for these discount rates that are not offered through any other travel agent.
Room Requests
For those of you who want to know how the Polynesian does room requests, here is some info.
Rooms are typically assigned in order based upon the following:
- Large Groups usually over 25 rooms
- Multiple room or Magical Gathering requests
- Any requests on the reservation and Faxed in requests
- no requests
Guests can fax a request and the request will get reviewed by the room assigner (obviously the earlier out the better) but, the request still wont be assigned until they get the reservation about 5 days out. Other factors affect requests like emergency/scheduled repairs. If they can’t get the request they will write on the reservation why and offer a room change for the following morning.
To boil it all down a faxed request IS A REQUEST and not a guarantee of room placement. WDW does not guarantee room selection unless it is a reserved view room like Magic Kingdom View or Lagoon View.
The best way to note your request is when you do your reservation. If it is called in later there is a chance it will not be noted properly.
Disabled at Disney World
I always like to help add information for those traveling with challenges since Disney World can be a challenge for those in perfect health. I found a nice article about Disables travel with some nice links and it happened to be that the photos were taken at the Polynesian.
http://goflorida.about.com/b/2007/07/06/disabled-travelers-get-warm-welcome-in-florida.htm
