Considering the Poly

Jedi Osborn

Active Member
Hello everyone.

Really trying to make a trip happen this year, but the price is a big detriment for our family of 5.

We normally stay at PO Riverside and love the food court area and walks around the grounds, and the boat to Downtown.
We're looking at a week in mid May for a few reasons. But our travel consultant is quoting us at over 4k just for rooms there. CB preferred rooms (the only ones on sale in May) are pushing 4k as well and I'm a bit concerned about the new state of the CB.

We're thinking about renting DVC points to get a room at the Poly but we have some concerns
1) We've never rented points before and are a bit worried/concerned/terrified of the idea.
2) We usually fall back on the PO food court for days we don't have reservations somewhere. It's easy and close and has a great selection. Plus the nightly cobbler dessert is a person fav.

So, in regards to #1, is there a good thread to read that might alleviate our concerns?
and on #2, they say there's no food court at the Poly, but what are the quick service options like?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice.
 

NessNewt

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone.

Really trying to make a trip happen this year, but the price is a big detriment for our family of 5.

We normally stay at PO Riverside and love the food court area and walks around the grounds, and the boat to Downtown.
We're looking at a week in mid May for a few reasons. But our travel consultant is quoting us at over 4k just for rooms there. CB preferred rooms (the only ones on sale in May) are pushing 4k as well and I'm a bit concerned about the new state of the CB.

We're thinking about renting DVC points to get a room at the Poly but we have some concerns
1) We've never rented points before and are a bit worried/concerned/terrified of the idea.
2) We usually fall back on the PO food court for days we don't have reservations somewhere. It's easy and close and has a great selection. Plus the nightly cobbler dessert is a person fav.

So, in regards to #1, is there a good thread to read that might alleviate our concerns?
and on #2, they say there's no food court at the Poly, but what are the quick service options like?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice.

I can help with number 2. Captain Cook's is the quick service at Poly. We recently grabbed lunch there (not staying at the poly) and it was great. Yummy food and it was definitely quick. Standard kid fare and then things like sandwiches and salads with a Polynesian flair (my chicken sandwich had pineapple salsa and teriyaki, my husband's pulled pork sandwich had an Asian slaw, etc.).

I know @Tuvalu could elaborate more on quick service options at the Poly.
 
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nickys

Premium Member
Try looking at David’s website for emails about renting points. They are a site sponsor and sponsor the DVC forum.

Essentially an owner makes the reservation for you, in your name. You link it to MDE and then have all the same privileges as any other resort guest. Housekeeping is not every day though.

However the biggie is that you can’t cancel. Some owners may try to rebook, but points can only be used within certain time frames, and the owner could loose the use of the points if they cancel.

The owner is also in control of the reservation until you actually check in, so you do need to check the owner out , make sure they are legit and you trust them. You will also have to pay everything up front, including any dining plan.

Going through a broker like David’s gives you some protection, but has a no cancellation policy. You should definitely consider insurance in case illness or another reason forces you to cancel.
 
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Jedi Osborn

Active Member
Original Poster
Thank you very much for the replies.
The DVC thing just seems strange to me, but mostly because I'm a control freak...and I worry a lot too. But it may be the only way we can afford a trip this year.
 
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Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
We rented points from David's Vacation Rentals for a Poly studio stay last time we came to WDW. It was a huge splurge for us, so we mitigated our costs by splitting our stay - 3 nights at Beach Club (also a DVC studio stay on rented points - $250 per night) and 2 at Poly (more like $400 per night). We loved the Poly, and were glad we'd splurged! The decor, the pool, the dining, were all fantastic and all we had hoped for.
 
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correcaminos

Well-Known Member
Biggest issue to me for the studios, is the lack of second real bed. The Murphy bed is super comfortable there though, and we love the stand-alone shower in that studio. Just think about how it will be to share the pull-out sofa versus a real bed. As for food, we found a lot of good selection at Captain Cook's. I will say that the walk to Grand Floridian is also really short and they have some good quick service food there too. I personally like the quick-service options at those 2 deluxes over Port Orleans, but that could be taste.
 
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KellBelle

Well-Known Member
I was also looking to book Poly for our trip this upcoming December. We decided against it and went with POFQ instead. Cost was definitely a factor, but if you have time, read some of the trip advisor reviews on the Poly. I totally realize that more people will take the time to write bad over good, but so many of the reviews regarding the rooms were just not good. I would have been really upset to pay so much and then have a potentially dingy, outdated room.
 
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aliceismad

Well-Known Member
The Poly is my dream resort...but DH isn't as keen on the themeing as I am and would rather do an Epcot resort. We're renting DVC points (through David's) at BLT for the spring, so we'll see how we like being at a monorail resort.

If you read the trip reports here, there are some great reviews of various resorts. Tuvalu is a regular at WDW and a regular at the Poly.
 
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piglet21

Well-Known Member
We love the DVC studios at the Poly and stay there as often as we can. We are DVC owners so I haven't had the experience of renting points, but I have heard wonderful things about David's. If your dates are flexible you can always sign up for the newsletter where he sends out already confirmed reservations at a discounted rate!

I think the pull out couch bed is perfectly fine. It's not the greatest thing in the world, but it's not bad. I also love having the two bathrooms. There's still only one toilet, but two showers definitely makes mornings faster!
 
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Ted Daggett

Active Member
I am guessing that there would be no availability to rent points at the POLY in May at this time; that fills up early.
That being said, we have rented points from Davids 4 times now, and each was a very smooth process, and saved us hundreds of dollars. However, we have always secured our reservation 6-10 months out.
I don't know if Davids does some sort of screening of the DVC members prior to working with them, but the members that have booked for me have always been very responsive. There is a way to buy insurance through Davids, but I am not sure of which circumstances would get your $ back.

I think all of the POLY DVC rooms are newly refurbished, so you don't have to worry about an old dingy room. The rooms have a queen bed, and a double sleeper sofa, and a pull out murphy bed. We loved having a second shower in the room, and the shower in the room without the toilet was one of the best showers I have ever used. Another thing that we love about POLY is that not only is it on the monorail, but you can get to MK on the little resort ferry boat as well as the large TTC Ferry, each were much more enjoyable than a bus ride.

The quick service restaurant is Capt. Cooks. We have always enjoyed the food there, and it is never very crowded - with additional outside seating which is nice. The hotel is much smaller than the moderates/values, so there is not as many people staying there to crowd the restaurant. There is also a counter service restaurant by the quiet pool (Oasis), as well as the Pineapple Lanai, where you can get a Dole Whip.
 
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correcaminos

Well-Known Member
I am guessing that there would be no availability to rent points at the POLY in May at this time; that fills up early.
That being said, we have rented points from Davids 4 times now, and each was a very smooth process, and saved us hundreds of dollars. However, we have always secured our reservation 6-10 months out.
I don't know if Davids does some sort of screening of the DVC members prior to working with them, but the members that have booked for me have always been very responsive. There is a way to buy insurance through Davids, but I am not sure of which circumstances would get your $ back.

I think all of the POLY DVC rooms are newly refurbished, so you don't have to worry about an old dingy room. The rooms have a queen bed, and a double sleeper sofa, and a pull out murphy bed. We loved having a second shower in the room, and the shower in the room without the toilet was one of the best showers I have ever used. Another thing that we love about POLY is that not only is it on the monorail, but you can get to MK on the little resort ferry boat as well as the large TTC Ferry, each were much more enjoyable than a bus ride.

The quick service restaurant is Capt. Cooks. We have always enjoyed the food there, and it is never very crowded - with additional outside seating which is nice. The hotel is much smaller than the moderates/values, so there is not as many people staying there to crowd the restaurant. There is also a counter service restaurant by the quiet pool (Oasis), as well as the Pineapple Lanai, where you can get a Dole Whip.
The rooms at Polynesian DVC are not newly-refurbished. They are just relatively new being built in 2014. I admit I am a huge fan of the Polynesian and alone DVC there as well. Sometimes people do have issues going from regular rooms to Studio Styles, but I really do love the Polynesian that much
 
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Jedi Osborn

Active Member
Original Poster
Good call on being booked up. I can't find anything affordable even close to our dates. I wish I had thought about checking out this option sooner. We're really hoping for a trip, but with our date issues, it looks like we'll have to wait.
Thanks for your replies and thoughts.
 
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aliceismad

Well-Known Member
It's my understanding that a lot of the DVC rooms book up well in advance. I believe owners can book their home resort at 11 months out, and they can book other resorts starting at 7 months out. My understanding is that Old Key West and Saratoga Springs have the least demand. (And studio rentals there are about the price of a moderate when I priced out our May trip.)

Did you check the newly released sale for room-only bookings? I think POR and CBR were on there. POFQ was not, at least not for our dates.
 
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Jedi Osborn

Active Member
Original Poster
It's my understanding that a lot of the DVC rooms book up well in advance. I believe owners can book their home resort at 11 months out, and they can book other resorts starting at 7 months out. My understanding is that Old Key West and Saratoga Springs have the least demand. (And studio rentals there are about the price of a moderate when I priced out our May trip.)

Did you check the newly released sale for room-only bookings? I think POR and CBR were on there. POFQ was not, at least not for our dates.
We actually just pulled the trigger on a trip in May. We finally found the sweet spot with rooms. tickets and flights. It's more than we want to spend but with kids growing up and getting older, we want to spend the time together while we can.
 
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correcaminos

Well-Known Member
It's my understanding that a lot of the DVC rooms book up well in advance. I believe owners can book their home resort at 11 months out, and they can book other resorts starting at 7 months out. My understanding is that Old Key West and Saratoga Springs have the least demand. (And studio rentals there are about the price of a moderate when I priced out our May trip.)

Did you check the newly released sale for room-only bookings? I think POR and CBR were on there. POFQ was not, at least not for our dates.
AKL as well. OKW is undergoing refurbisments and SSR is about to start which can affect availability. SSR is huge though so not as likely. But those are the 3 largest DVC resorts at WDW.

Time of year can affect it too. Fall through marathon weekend is harder to book. Spring through summer is pretty easy.
 
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