Polynesian crowds

I’ve seen many people inquire about visiting the beach at the Polynesian to watch fireworks plus the popularity of the restaurants and now Trader Sam’s is very well documented. Does the Polynesian tend to not feel like a “retreat” from the parks because of this? We’ll be checking in in a few weeks and I just want to have realistic expectations.

The lobby and restaurants do feel very crowded. I would guess it’s one of the most visited resorts by non-guests. I can’t say how it would impact staying there because I haven’t, but like so many others we usually end up there for drinks at Trader Sam’s or a meal.

I agree with Outer1. I just wrote a pro/con of staying at the Poly and Cont. on here. One of the cons was that the lobby is never peaceful as it has many are visiting from other resorts. Also, I don’t think the Poly has done a very good job of keeping pool hoppers and non-Poly guest off the beach during fireworks. Having said that, would I stay there again, YES!

I guess you can use the analogy of a city. I live in a suburb of Philadelphia. Nice and quiet, not much hustle and bustle. You could compare that to the longhouses. But once in a while my wife and I like to go down to the city for a nice dinner. Very crowded, a lot going on, but at the same time a lot of fun with much to do and see. That experience could be comparable to the Great Ceremonial House.

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I think all of the monorail resorts are very busy in their main areas because people can so easily visit. Personally we love AKL because it’s so quiet and relaxing it’s a real chance to get away from the craziness that is Disney and restore our sanity as much as our bodies. The entire resort is quiet, even the restaurants, which are busy, but still a reasonable crowd level.

Would I stay at Poly??? Maybe, if I could get a really good deal, but the standard rates there just don’t make it worth it to us, when we can get the resort we love at half the price lol.

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Don’t tell everyone the secrets of AKL or they will come and mess it all up for us, Tommy :wink:

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Not to be contrary, but all 3 times we visited Poly the lobby was very quiet. One time, we actually thought it might be closed for some reason! Now, of course, I realize, all three times we were there in the middle of the afternoon, Ohana wasn’t open, Kona and Captain Cook’s were sparsely populated and Trader Sam’s had a lot of seating open. All 3 times, too, we were the only guests at Tambu Lounge! (all of our visits occurred between 1PM and 4PM or so.)

Clearly, it has to do with what time of day you are there. If you do mid-day park breaks, it may very well feel like an oasis from the insanity.

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We just stayed at the Poly and it was not bad at all. The beaches were a little crowded one weekend night when I went to watch the fireworks, but most of the time it did not seem crowded at all. I really enjoyed it and so did my mom :slight_smile:

Good to hear. Hopefully that holds true for the week before Easter.

I hadn’t thought much about this. I was considering either Beach Club or Poly. Will Beach Club feel more like an oasis from the parks? I know a lot of people show up for Beaches & Cream.

BC actually usually feels more crowded to me than Poly. SAB gets such a crowd and it is so large! It is like a party in the middle of the resort.

I agree with @PrincipalTinker - I think the theme of the Poly lends itself to a more secluded feeling. There’s a lot more green space and trees and winding paths. At the BC/YC, everything is much more open. The lobby / pool area at the Poly can fill up, but I’ve found that it’s still quiet out by the longhouses.

(I thought I asked this, but maybe my Internet went out, apologies if comes through twice) Are Poly pools crowded 2pm-4pm with pool hoppers even at quiet pool? I was concerned on that when I saw how close to TTC. Or just the main pool? Why do you think they are capable of policing over at Beach Club but not at Poly? Just realizing I may be locked out of some amenities at other monorail hotels, feeling cross about the mismatch if everywhere’s not policed the same.

There are fences around both pools. You need to scan your magic and to enter. The quiet pool (the Oasis) is my favorite pool in all of Disney. It is never too crowded and has a bar/quick service restaurant and drink fill station.