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Maximum persons per room: 4 (plus child in
crib) Credit Cards Accepted: American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and the Disney Credit Card. Resort Description On the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon, just south of the Magic Kingdom, sits Disney's answer to a South Pacific paradise. One of the many benefits of being on the Lagoon, is the potential for romance. The beaches or boat dock are great spots from which to view the Electrical Water Pageant or Magic Kingdom fireworks with that special someone. The Polynesian Resort is one of the two original WDW resorts that opened in 1971. The centerpiece of the Polynesian Resort, is the Great Ceremonial House, the resort's main reception area. This tropical paradise has a 3-storey high garden that takes up much of the lobby area. Cascading water falls over craggy volcanic rock amidst an atrium that has 75 varieties of tropic and sub-tropic plants. The theming continues throughout the grounds of the resort with white sand beaches, torch lit walkways, tropical landscaping, waterfalls, colorful costumes and longhouses fashioned after South Pacific lodges. The rooms are located in the eleven A-frame longhouses that have exotic names such as: Moorea, Pago Pago, Oahu, Tonga, Hawaii, Bora Bora, Maori, Bali Hai, Tahiti, Fiji, and Samoa. TRANSPORTATION: the Polynesian is on the Monorail route and the station is located on the second floor of the great Ceremonial House. This monorail route stops at the Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom, Contemporary and the Ticket and Transportation Center as well. Magic Kingdom: Take the monorail or the boat launch. Epcot: You must transfer at the TTC to get on a separate train that travels to Epcot. There is a walkway to the TTC that is just a short walk from the Moorea and the Pago Pago longhouses. MGM: Take the MGM bus Animal Kingdom/Blizzard Beach: Take the Animal Kingdom/Blizzard Beach bus. Downtown Disney Marketplace, Downtown Disney West Side, Pleasure Island and Typhoon Lagoon: Guests can take the Downtown Disney bus from the stop in front of the Great Ceremonial House. After 4 p.m., those wishing to go to Pleasure Island, Downtown Disney Marketplace or Downtown Disney West Side, must take a bus from the TTC. Water taxis will take guests to the Magic Kingdom or the Grand Floridian. ROOMS: As with all of the deluxe resorts at WDW, the rooms at the Polynesian have interior hallways, 2 queen size beds with batik bed canopies, a day bed, an armoire, a TV, a nightstand, a table with 2 chairs, a small safe, and a full bathroom. Most of the upper floor rooms have balconies. Some of the older Polynesian buildings were intentionally built without balconies to preserve the authenticity of the Polynesian building styles. King size beds are available only in suites, not the regular guest rooms. Some of the rooms in the Oahu or Pago Pago are specially equipped for guests with disabilities. An average guest room is 409 square feet. Two views are offered here, garden or lagoon. Suites: The Bali Hai longhouse is home to the suites at the Poly. Most suites have a kitchen area and all suites have a sitting area. They also offer 2 queen size beds, or 1 king size, and possibly 2 murphy beds (that pull out from the wall). The bathrooms have lovely marble tubs. The furniture, in accordance with the South Seas theme, is bamboo and cane with stone table tops. Other benefits of staying in a Poly suite include speaker telephones with a second line, bathrobes, a coffee maker, an iron and ironing board, some special Poly stationery and a nightly turndown service. At the Polynesian Resort, the Concierge Service is found in the Tonga and Bali Hai longhouses. The Concierge lounge is located in the Tonga building. Concierge guests can check in here and have refreshments upon arrival. In addition to the amenities offered with the suites, concierge service includes making your dining reservations, planning outings, ticket purchases, transportation arrangements, filling requests for special dining or accommodation needs, daily newspapers and use of the lounge. The lounge offers a continental breakfast buffet (with bagels, fresh fruit, cereals and beverages), mid-afternoon snacks (with fresh-baked cookies and beverages), in the late afternoon, wine and hors d'oeuvres, and later on in the evening, guests can enjoy cordials and bedtime snacks. The concierge have even been known to secure an autographed picture or two of your favorite characters! For families with very small children, cribs, playpens and high chairs are available by calling Housekeeping or Guest Services. While the Poly may be one of the two oldest resorts on property, extensive renovations have been ongoing, most recently in 1997 and 1998. TIP: The rooms closest to the restaurants, monorail and bus stop are found in the Bali Hai, Bora Bora and Maori longhouses. Hawaii, Tonga, Oahu, Maori, and Bora Bora are all close to the large pool. The Magic Kingdom is best viewed from rooms in the Tonga or Moorea buildings. Smoke-free rooms are found in the Moorea, Oahu, Maori, Tahiti and Samoa buildings. Check-in time is 3 p.m. and check-out is 11 a.m. DINING: O'Hana's restaurant is located on the second level of the Great Ceremonial House. It is open for breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Breakfast is Minnie's Menehune Character Breakfast and features a family-style meal hosted by Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale. Dinner at O'Hana's is an interactive experience where all of the other guests are your "cousins" and don't be surprised to see a coconut race going on! Meals are prepared in a huge open-pit. Offered here are long skewers of fire roasted grilled meats with specialties like Hawaiian Chicken, Cajun Jumbo Shrimp, Mesquite Beef Tenderloin, and Turkey Tenderloin, as well as fresh seafood of the day. The dessert of pineapple and caramel sauce is to die for! The Kona Café offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast includes the famous Tonga Toast, fresh fruit and juices, Eggs Benedict and a host of other delicious offerings. For lunch, an assortment of soups, salads and sandwiches can be topped off with yummy desserts like Ko Ko Puffs, Turtle Brownie Tarts or Haupia Strawberry Shortcake. A variety of fresh fish dishes, pastas such as Sesame Chicken Fettuccine, Prime Rib and Barbecued Shrimp are some of the culinary delights that are offered on the dinner menu. Some of the best coffee on WDW property can also be found here. In the Luau Cove, you'll find the Polynesian dinner show. In an open-sided canopied theatre, this show is performed nightly at 5:15 and 8:00. The show is geared more towards adults and stars authentic South Seas dancers and fire-dancers. The family-style dinners include Polynesian specialties such as Lanai Barbecued chicken, oven-roasted pork, Polynesian fried rice, fresh sautéed vegetables and pineapple upside down cake. Beverages include all-you-can drink Mai Tais. Captain Cook's is a snack bar located on the first floor of the Great Ceremonial House and is open 24 hours a day. Here you'll find hamburgers, sandwiches, Mickey-shaped pizza, chicken, fries and a make-your-own sundae bar. Full room service is available from 6:30 a.m. to midnight. For breakfast, fill out the card found in your room, and hang it on the doorknob outside before retiring for the night. From 11:30 a.m. to midnight, salads, hot sandwiches, appetizers and hamburgers are offered. For dinner, from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., appetizers, barbecued ribs, sweet and sour chicken dishes, shrimp and pasta, pork tenderloin, filet mignon, steak and desserts are offered. TIP: For a real treat, try the Tonga Toast at breakfast. Thick slices of sourdough bread, stuffed with bananas, are dipped in egg, cooked till crisp and topped with sugar, cinnamon and a special passion fruit syrup. POOLS/RECREATION: There are two main pools at the Polynesian Resort. The East pool, which is closer to the longhouses, and the larger Swimming Pool Lagoon nearer to the marina. This larger pool is surrounded by boulders that create a water slide with a "waterfall" entrance to it. There is not a spa at the Poly, but there is a kiddie pool. The shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon provide a white sandy beach, on which to play beach volleyball, and swimming is allowed here in a roped off area only when there is a lifeguard on duty. Other recreational activities for children include a playground and Moana Mickey's Arcade. For joggers, there is a 1.5 mile jogging path that starts at Luau Cove, winds through the Magnolia Golf Course and emerges at the Shades of Green Resort, goes under the monorail track and back along the beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon back to the Luau Cove. For other water sport pleasures, rentals are available: water mice, sailboats, pedal boats, pontoon boats, canopy boats, outrigger canoes and water skiing. Fireworks from the Magic Kingdom can be viewed from the lagoon on a boat cruise. Arrangements can be made in advance by calling (407)WDW-PLAY. Every evening in the lobby, Polynesian story-tellers entertain children with their tales of the South Pacific. In the interest of the environment, the Poly has a Ladybug Release Program. Guests are chosen to release a small box of ladybugs, (natural predators for bug control) onto plants. For assisting in this venture, guests may receive one of the following: a Ladybug Release certificate, a WDW Pest Management insect magnifying glass or Jiminy Cricket (the official WDW Environmentality mascot) stickers. This is held every Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at the back entrance to the Great Ceremonial House. SERVICES/AMENITIES:
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Disney's Polynesian
Resort
