Have you ever been underwhelmed?

[Sue M]

Not really. We've loved each WDW resort we've stayed in, including Poly. But although I loved our stay there, I thought the halls & elevators did not really reflect an upscale $$$ resort. I hear they are doing a total refurb of all the longhouses now, much needed.

As Wood Nymph says there are also benefits of staying at the resorts that are all under 1 roof, but I also love walking along the beautiful landscaping of many of the resorts too, like Poly, & POR.

 

[bowbat]

Like WoodNymph, we were underwhelmed by the Poly. Coincidentally, it was also very rainy when we stayed there. Our stay just prior to that had been at Contemporary, so having to schlep outside in the rain to go anywhere seemed a real hassle compared to having everything (including the monorail) under one roof. We also found the rooms to be too dark for our liking, the pool and GCH insanely crowded, and the CMs weren't so friendly.

Now, I won't go so far as to say we'd never stay there again. We were somewhat underwhelmed our first stay at WL, gave it another shot and loved it. So who knows -- maybe if we went during a slower time when it wasn't rainy, we might love it.

 

[jhryb]

The first time I stayed at a DVC resort I felt the same way. My feelings were "What do you mean I need to make my own bed?". It just didn't feel like a Disney vacation to me. But now that I am a DVC member I love the large one and two bedroom villas and I would take them any day over sharing one small room with my family.

 

[suefly]

Didn't love the beach club. Poor counter service. Otherwise it was nice. Just not wowed. But mostly had to do with paying so much to stay there. My expectations were too high, I guess.

 

[toodycat]

We were underwhelmed during our second stay at the Poly. Pool was crowded and very dirty, service was utterly indifferent and neither the restaurants nor the shopping do it for me. The transportation is awesome though and the rooms are big.

Although we want to stay at every resort at some point, I feel a little hesitant about OKW, SSR, CBR and BWI---as though they would be disappointing.The first two strike me as looking more like condos and less like Disney magic headquarters while CBR's theme doesn't seem so exciting and although I like the grounds of BWI, I don't like the idea of having to go out on the Boardwalk just to get a meal and the clown pool is not to my taste. I suppose this is a topic for another thread, but I wonder how many people found themselves at a resort they thought they wouldn't click with and ended up loving it?

 

[Kim1964]

We've stayed at Pop, ASMu (FS), POR, POFQ, CSR, WL, and YC. Of those, the only one that underwhelmed me was WL. I didn't hate it, and in fact we've stayed there twice, but there was nothing "Wow" about it for me. I'd read a lot of trip reports that talked about being really impressed with the lobby, and I didn't find it all that impressive. I wouldn't rule out staying there again, but it's not high on my list. We're doing a split stay this summer with BWI CLand BC CL. I've been inside both (though not the rooms or the CL lounges) so I know what to expect in terms of available food and activities, and I am OK with all of it.

Of the others, the only one that I would rule out a return stay was ASMu. It didn't underwhelm me, I just hated it.

 

[jenrose66]

I have stayed at POFQ, POP, AsMu, AsMo, and AoA. The only hotel I wasn't crazy about is AsMu.

 

[Diz Kids]

We have stayed at Pop, AS Musi, CSR, POR(both), CBR, CR, Poly, AKL, YC. I would say I was underwhelmed with CBR, POFQ and the Poly. The first two just didn't wow me. Nothing wrong with the resorts, but they wouldn't be my 1st choice. The Poly I think was more of a combination of what others have said about the separate buildings and the price. I really enjoyed our stay and the pool, restaurants and grounds are great, but I just didn't feel it was worth the price we paid.

None of these things impacted our vacation to make it any less special, I just wouldn't put the resorts on the top of my list. I have heard a lot of people say they were underwhelmed with AKL though, and it might be my fave resort.

We all have different likes and needs and some will love resorts that others do not like at all. A kitchen in my room at Disney? No thanks. Then my family might think that I am going to cook on vacation. For others, it is a must.

I hope you still had a great vacation and next time you stay at a resort that amazes you!

 

[Robbi]

We were underwhelmed by the Poly, YC, and BC. We gave the Poly a second chance and it still did nothing for us. The refurbed rooms look nice and I'm tempted but the CMs there were the worst in our 30+ stays. Captain Cooks was blah too so I don't know. We'll see.

 

[toodycat]

I wasn't blown away by WL, but it wasn't the lobby that we loved. For my money, the best feature was the pool and the surrounding landscaping.

 

[Karabee]

I was so underwhelmed with WL. The rooms seemed so dated and worn. Even for me the pool wasn't great because it was so small and the games going on all day long. I also was fortunate enough to stay at GF at a very discounted rate but would have been so underwhelmed if I had paid full price.

 

[Sammie]

When people say they don't care for a resort's theme, room decor, etc. do they never look at photos and videos before they go.

 

[si-am]

I did not care for Coronado Springs. The theming wasn't really fun, and the food court was complicated. That was years and years ago, though, so maybe it's time to give it another chance.

 

[sls404]

I feel this way about CSR. It was my first moderate after several stays at POP. I picked it because the rooms were so beautiful- much nicer looking than most of the Deluxe resorts IMO.

What dissapointed me so much was the size of the resort and the bus service. The resort is spread out, we hardly went to the main building and it was a hike just to get to our bus stop. On top of that, it seemed like we waited 30 mins for buses every day and then of course it would take even longer to get to all of the other stops around the resort! I would much rather stay at POP than CSR.

After staying there, I realized how important resort size is to me. We chose POFQ after that trip and LOVED it!

 

[alex9179]

We have only stayed at WDW for one vacation. The theming at AOA was fantastic. We stayed in the Cars section and we loved the suite along with the photo ops every 10 ft! The kids were over the moon. We only ate at the food court twice and both times were high maintenance. With a family of 5, and kids who suddenly weren't very adventurous about their food, we had to go for some basics and the meals were not enjoyable. The breakfast, in particular, was terrible. Unseasoned eggs, cold pancakes, and the potato casserole was awful-onion powder overload I think. I thought it was a safe choice, we should have tried the more exotic offerings. Oh, and we had requested our luggage be delivered late since we got in late. It wasn't communicated and we fell asleep waiting for it. Finally called bell sevices at around 1:30 am asking about it and it was delivered about 30 minutes later, I think. I was a little delirious at that point. It was a long first day.
We wouldn't stay there again because the expense didn't offset the convenience and theming.

We moved to the Poly for the lion's share of our planned split stay. We all loved, pretty much, everything. We did splurge for CL, because our kids eat all of the time and we utilized that amenity multiple times a day. The rooms weren't fancy, but felt very relaxing. Plenty of room, even after loving the suite experience-kinda missed 2 bathrooms. DH was a huge fan of the boat transport. Kids loved the pool and it never had an unexpected close or was too crowded on our nice days.
There was an issue at check in. Asked about it outside, since we were CL. Told to go inside and when our turn came we were told to back outside. So, back to the drive we went. No golf cart because our luggage was being transferred, but the CM who walked us to Hawaii was very nice and the rest of the trip was trouble free. The kids thought the Neverland Club was the HIGHLIGHT of their trip...little turkeys. The staff in the lounge were super friendly.

I'm taking a trip with my mom to POR next, and am looking forward to it. I love that there are two lounges with musical entertainment within walking distance. A well-liked, large food court as well as TS. And we can walk to POFQ for CS that takes TIW. The grounds are beautiful, which is a huge thing for me as well as my mom. I like seeing trees and plants first, when I look out my room, with buildings in the background. We both have fond, childhood river memories and every time I see pics of it I feel an exceptional calm come over me. I'm in desperate need of calm.

 

[hgeisler]

Believe it or not, I was underwhelmed by the Polynesian. I was used to staying at the BC and BCV and had been very spoiled by having everything under one roof and the very short walk to Epcot. My sister and I ran the Disney half marathon one year, and the race package included three nights at the Polynesian in the Tahiti building, lagoon view room, which happens to be one of the favored buildings. Unfortunately, that weekend was mostly cold and rainy. I hated the long walk in the wind and rain to get a cup of coffee in the morning. Although the Poly room was larger than the BC room, it felt much less upscale than the rooms at the BC. We had a great castle view and we were the second room from the end, closest to the ferry, so it was a nice walk to the TTC. But the main building where the restaurants and monorail access are just seemed cold and dreary.

To give the Poly a fair chance, though, I am sure that it is much nicer when it isn't cold and rainy out. But I have no desire to spend the extra money to stay at the Poly when there are so many nicer deluxe resorts to stay at.

Same here...in the same building as well:/

 

[hgeisler]

Not really. We've loved each WDW resort we've stayed in, including Poly. But although I loved our stay there, I thought the halls & elevators did not really reflect an upscale $$$ resort. I hear they are doing a total refurb of all the longhouses now, much needed.

As Wood Nymph says there are also benefits of staying at the resorts that are all under 1 roof, but I also love walking along the beautiful landscaping of many of the resorts too, like Poly, & POR.

That was my problem too!

 

[JeannieKY]

I did not love the BC. Love love WL. Like POFQ, Pop and All Stars all way more than BC. Disney has something for everyone. I tend to prefer the values for more of a Disney vibe.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

CBR was my underwhelming place. The room was so disappointing. It just didn't feel disney to me.

PoR gives me that great disney feel .

I'm the exact opposite!

POR - I just don't get what all the fuss is about. It's nice but... meh.

CBR - my new home away from home and go-to Disney resort!

Well, until the beautiful day that I can afford to stay at OKW. I loved, loved, loved my upgrade to OKW!

Most definitely different strokes for different folks!

 

[Belle83]

I was slightly underwhelmed by the mansion section at POR. I thought I would prefer it to Alligator Bayou, but in person the mansions have a more motel-y feel than the AB area. Something about the rooms all in a long row, I think.