jhaig
Not The First To Pass This Way
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2007
We had our first Poly stay this Sept 9-19 after scouring the boards for information on construction, best room locations, and entertainment. It was definitely memorable for many reasons. Not that we didn't enjoy the trip, but we most likely will not be back to the Poly. I mean, we really did have a good trip, and I'm not a big complainer, but there were just too many things that happened that you would not expect at a so-called deluxe resort:
First, the good:
- Beautiful resort
- Great central location for getting to the parks
- Tonga toast rules
- Gorgeous lobby
- Great shopping
- Construction was a non-issue, other than the giant hole where the quiet pool should be
- Trader Sam's was awesome, even for non-drinkers like us
Now, the not-so-good:
- I could have fashioned a small toupee with all of the hair I found floating in the pool.
- Couldn't check the hot tub because it was broken most days we were there.
- Every night at 1am, from Tuvalu 1st floor, we hear those loud laundry carts making a racket along the cobblestone paths along the boat dock. You're telling me they can't do that during the day? It was louder than the fireworks.
- Original room assignment was 3rd floor Aotearoa, in the room directly across from both the ice machine and elevator (I know, someone's gotta stay there, but for that price, it wasn't gonna be me). Got switched to Tuvalu first floor, room right by the outside door. There was no carpeting on the floor outside the door, and the door across from us looked like a storage closet, but then we saw people coming out of it. Come to find out, it was another guest room, but there was no number on the wall, just a worn-out spot where a number used to be.
- Polynesian lost our Garden Grocer order. I think it was delivered to our old room after we switched. Had to get another order, but not til the next morning. GG gave us the exact time of delivery, and the exact location in the storeroom when the order was placed. Bell services took be back there to look for it, but it was gone. Thankfully, the Poly manager helped us out with supplies for that night.
- When attempting to open a door on the bedside table, the door literally fell off. No joke.
- Housekeeping, without fail, was cleaning our room at the exact time we returned from the park to rest. Had to wait an extra half hour in the lobby until they were done.
- The monorail was down (unscheduled, not the scheduled late start printed on the weekly times sheet) in the morning many days and no one could give any answers about the buses or boats to compensate for the monorail not running. You couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. Ended up high-tailing it to the TTC to barely make rope drop at EP.
- Ohana was just dreadful. Chicken was lukewarm dark thigh meat, chewy and grizzled. Steak was cooked very inconsistently, with a weel-done piece first, then the next piece was beyond rare. I filled up on chicken wings and noodles. Felt like college again.
Most of these things (room, Garden Grocer, broken door, laundry carts, etc) seemed to set the tone for the whole trip and it felt like we spent the rest of our time trying to dig out of a hole. I will say the Poly staff was very gracious and understanding when we presented our problems to them. We even got a complimentary room service delivery of pineapple, chocolate, and sparkling cider with an apology note. Quite unexpected, but nice.
You can't control things like the weather, park hours, loud guests above you, or things like that. But every issue we had with the Polynesian was unnecessary to have to deal with. A lot of attention to detail is lacking there. I wonder if they're just trying so hard to finish up the multitude of projects that some loose ends are being missed.
We've had so many good trips to Disney before, so I guess we were due for one that didn't quite measure up. Some days you're the pigeon, other days you're the statue. The Poly was just OK, but for my money, not worth it.
First, the good:
- Beautiful resort
- Great central location for getting to the parks
- Tonga toast rules
- Gorgeous lobby
- Great shopping
- Construction was a non-issue, other than the giant hole where the quiet pool should be
- Trader Sam's was awesome, even for non-drinkers like us
Now, the not-so-good:
- I could have fashioned a small toupee with all of the hair I found floating in the pool.
- Couldn't check the hot tub because it was broken most days we were there.
- Every night at 1am, from Tuvalu 1st floor, we hear those loud laundry carts making a racket along the cobblestone paths along the boat dock. You're telling me they can't do that during the day? It was louder than the fireworks.
- Original room assignment was 3rd floor Aotearoa, in the room directly across from both the ice machine and elevator (I know, someone's gotta stay there, but for that price, it wasn't gonna be me). Got switched to Tuvalu first floor, room right by the outside door. There was no carpeting on the floor outside the door, and the door across from us looked like a storage closet, but then we saw people coming out of it. Come to find out, it was another guest room, but there was no number on the wall, just a worn-out spot where a number used to be.
- Polynesian lost our Garden Grocer order. I think it was delivered to our old room after we switched. Had to get another order, but not til the next morning. GG gave us the exact time of delivery, and the exact location in the storeroom when the order was placed. Bell services took be back there to look for it, but it was gone. Thankfully, the Poly manager helped us out with supplies for that night.
- When attempting to open a door on the bedside table, the door literally fell off. No joke.
- Housekeeping, without fail, was cleaning our room at the exact time we returned from the park to rest. Had to wait an extra half hour in the lobby until they were done.
- The monorail was down (unscheduled, not the scheduled late start printed on the weekly times sheet) in the morning many days and no one could give any answers about the buses or boats to compensate for the monorail not running. You couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. Ended up high-tailing it to the TTC to barely make rope drop at EP.
- Ohana was just dreadful. Chicken was lukewarm dark thigh meat, chewy and grizzled. Steak was cooked very inconsistently, with a weel-done piece first, then the next piece was beyond rare. I filled up on chicken wings and noodles. Felt like college again.
Most of these things (room, Garden Grocer, broken door, laundry carts, etc) seemed to set the tone for the whole trip and it felt like we spent the rest of our time trying to dig out of a hole. I will say the Poly staff was very gracious and understanding when we presented our problems to them. We even got a complimentary room service delivery of pineapple, chocolate, and sparkling cider with an apology note. Quite unexpected, but nice.
You can't control things like the weather, park hours, loud guests above you, or things like that. But every issue we had with the Polynesian was unnecessary to have to deal with. A lot of attention to detail is lacking there. I wonder if they're just trying so hard to finish up the multitude of projects that some loose ends are being missed.
We've had so many good trips to Disney before, so I guess we were due for one that didn't quite measure up. Some days you're the pigeon, other days you're the statue. The Poly was just OK, but for my money, not worth it.
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. I would have been equally disappointed for the money, had we experienced the same things on our trip. Hope your next trip makes up for the disappointment this time around.
Went there for dinner at Artist Point and was reminded of how gorgeous it really is (and much more reasonably priced).
