"fake" Balconies At Poly

[KMLOVESWDW]

For those of you that got a second floor room at the Poly-what exactly is that balcony like? Does the sliding door still open up or is it more like a window? Can you stand out there at all? Was it lousy to have this sort of thing because DH is very, I mean VVVEERRYYY worried that we will be paying all this money to sit & relax at this beautiful resort on a private balcony or patio & then we won't get one when we check in. A little worried myself!!! I can have nice grounds & not have a balcony & pay less & stay at a mod.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

It is not a balcony at all, just the balcony railing to match the rest of the decor. You can open the sliding door and stand there, but that is all.

Be sure to have a 1st (patio) or 3rd floor room in your reservations requests and ask at check-in. Unless the resort is sold out, you'll be fine. We;ve stayed there many times and always had a balcony. Could also request a Longhouse that has second floor balcony - that's what we always did

Try not to worry - but I understand!! I'd have those requests in my reservation and ask at check-in to be sure.

Good luck!!!
Like others have said, check out Tikiman's site - just google as we cannot add the link here.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

That depends on the building we stayed in the Tahiti section and had a "real balcony" .

I would provide you with a link to some photos but its a competing site.

But there is some info here:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_poly.htm

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I still have not been able to figure out how you can have a balcony on a 1st floor room? Unless there was something built around it where it feels like a balcony, even though you would be on the 1st floor and not a higher floor.

 

[skipperkim]

In case you don't already have this, checkout tikiman's website.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

In case you don't already have this, it's a must for every Poly guest:

http://***********.homestead.com/

I have his site booked marked as a favorite.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

In case you don't already have this, it's a must for every Poly guest:

http://***********.homestead.com/

I already tried that. Competing site.

OT : I have family Olathe.

 

[KMLOVESWDW]

Thanks for trying to help all!! I guess I just wanted to know what others that had the "fake" balcony thought of it. I've been to THAT site if it's the one I think you all are talking about!!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Hi,again - I should have added that we had a similar faux balcony at CR North Wing and although we opened the sliding glass door and pulled up chairs, it was just not the same and so I always want a real balcony if available!

Have a great trip!!

 

[Disfan3]

I am going to be honest with you. If you REALLY want a balcony you will NOT be happy with the fake ones. You can open them BUT there is NO room to even stand out on it...it is more like a huge window-door area (you can open it of course) with the wooden railings around it. It is NOT a balcony or similar to a balcony at all IMO. You will be inside the room not at all outside of it, when the door is open...

I have reqested a balcony twice and did not get it either time. I would not settle for a non-balcony room upon check in if it will make or break your stay.

I think there is one bldg that has all balconies but I don't remember the name of it.


We love the Poly but I have yet to get a requested location there. Good luck. Even at POR I requested bld 14 (most popular) during Spring Break and got it.

Take that for what its worth. The Poly is great and wonderful.

It has the monorail!! A beach with WISHES! So you cannot go wrong....

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I
I think there is one bldg that has all balconies but I don't remember the name of it.

All of the newer buildings have balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floors - the 'newer' buildings include: Tokelau (1978), Tahiti and Rapa Nui (both 1984).

 

[smile145]

I just wanted to add that even if you do put the request on your reservation, ask again at check-in if they don't honor the request. I just recently got back from 8 nights at the Poly. I made my reservation a year in advance and I requested a 3rd floor room, no specific longhouse. I had a garden view room reservation. When I checked in, the woman said I see you have requested a 3rd floor room but the room you have been assigned is a 1st floor room. I asked her to please check if any 3rd floor rooms were available. I didn't make a big deal out of it, just said please check. She walks to another computer and 3 minutes later she comes back and says I've put you in a 3rd floor garden view room. I was very happy.

What I don't understand is, if the room was readily available and I had asked for a 3rd floor room a year in advance, why was I assigned a 1st floor room? It all worked out well in the end but it does seem that even if they have rooms available to match your requests, that they ignore the requests when assigning rooms.

-Kim

 

[POLY1985]

We got stuck with a "non-balcony" room on our Honeymoon and I was really disappointed. The first floor has a patio and the 3rd floor has a balcony but the 2nd floor has a railing. Being young and naive we didn't ask for a different room.

 

[mr.mike]

But doesn't this at least mean those 2nd floor rooms are bigger because they have the balcony as room space?

 

[disneyfan67]

But doesn't this at least mean those 2nd floor rooms are bigger because they have the balcony as room space?

No difference in room size, in fact it feels like you lose a little without that extra room to spread out. A lot of people don't realise that those longhouses were designed that way on purpose. It wasn't to save money, but to follow a correct theme, at least from what I have been told. A traditional Hawaiian building many years ago had this similar design. I have read a lot of material on the Polynesian, being the huge fan I am of it and this is the reason why they planned it that way.

I don't think it was too wise to do it, IMO, and you do notice it when you don't have a balcony or patio to stretch out on and you're used to having them. Some folks would say, what's the big deal, you spend most of your time in the parks anyway? But there's something about being able to sit on your patio or balcony late at night or early in the morning and relax with a beverage of your choice while everyone else is still asleep or getting ready.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

What I don't understand is, if the room was readily available and I had asked for a 3rd floor room a year in advance, why was I assigned a 1st floor room? It all worked out well in the end but it does seem that even if they have rooms available to match your requests, that they ignore the requests when assigning rooms.

-Kim

When they assign rooms they do it a day or two in advance(I think this varies from resort to resort). The room assigner goes through and tries to accomodate the request as best they can. Then as check-in day arrives many things can happen, someone decides to cancel a reservation,checks out early or upgrades their room. Now the room you requested is now actually avaliable were it may not have been earlier.

 

[maelstrom]

Honestly, if I got there and they wouldn't accomodate me with a balcony or patio, and only wanted to give me that faux balcony BS, I'd ask to be moved to another resort where I could have a real balcony. The newer buildings closest to the TTC have balconies on both the 2nd and 3rd floors. We had a 2nd floor room with a balcony in Tahiti just this May, and it was nice. The rooms in that building are larger, too. We really wanted Fiji or Samoa, but they claimed that Tahiti was all that was available. It was nice to be able to walk to the TTC, but I'd rather have been closer to the Great Ceremonial House. But, yeah, if they won't give you a balcony, ask to be moved to another resort.

 

[KMLOVESWDW]

Thanks to all for the insight! We booked garden view-I requested patio or balcony. I asked for buildings Rapa Nui, Tahiti, Tokelau or Aotearoa. The CM said something to me about those being the outer buildings so maybe that is how my request in written. Well, all I can do is keep my fingers crossed & hope for the best & ask nicely at checkin. I do not however want to see the look on DH face if it doesn't work out in our favor.....

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Oh, I do so hope it works out!! Loads of PD to you!

BELIEVE!!!

P.S. And the rooms in the newer buildings (Tokelau, Tahiti, Rapa Nui) are larger than the other rooms - yes, they are closer to TTC than GCH, but theya re very nice rooms! Tokelau was always non-smoking and very central location