Thank you all for your advice and input. I had to update my status after the first comment about it (I am currently Platinum but forgot to change that in my profile). I am very flexible on my international bookings as I only want to do one with my family (5 of us). If I could get us all upgraded on the way over that would be ideal and I believe using PlusPoints would be cheaper than paying for Polaris for all of us. I would be fine with flying in the cooler months when demand is usually low.
Thanks again for all your help.