Just back - Very disappointed with Poly

[SydsMommy]

In response to some previous posts....

I am in the process of writing a letter to Disney to address my concerns. I wish I would have thought to take pictures but it didn't even cross my mind.

When I requested a room change the CM at the front desk did offer to have someone come clean it but it was so bad I knew it would require some major chemicals. I am 32 weeks pregnant and didn't want to be breathing in fumes for the next few days. So that was my chioce.

I don't want my comments to make anyone question their decision to stay there. I have stayed at resorts with bad reviews before and had wonderful experiences. I just wanted to vent about my disappoinment. I'm just upset about the overall decline in quality standards at Disney. We all pay alot of money for lodging, food, tickets etc. at WDW and Disney needs to find a balance between making money and maintaining standards.

Despite the issues with our room, we DID have a magical vacation!

 

[dmil]

Staying at the Poly for the first time this Sept.
Hoping I didn't make a mistake!!!

Me too!!!!!!

 

[snowbunny]

Unfortunately, I don't believe people are any different, what is different is WDW and their standards. Sloppy guests don't make the shower moldy. That takes an extended period of housekeeping neglect.
Sloppy, ill-mannered guests make it harder for Disney to keep up with the towels and litter, but that is Disney's constant challenge, and they are failing. It doesn't cost WDW more money to maintain room cleanliness. In fact, cleaning it properly each day will make it easier to maintain in the long run.

Totally agree with your post, except that it does cost more to keep a hotel spotless - it requires sufficient staff. If a mousekeeper only has time to do the bare minimum to a room because she has an unrealistic number of rooms she has to get done during her shift - that is down to Disney cutbacks.

I don't see how anyone who has been a long-term Disney guest can say with a straight face that staff reductions over the years have not affected the quality of the experience.

 

[ktlm]

I think the condition of the room is all about the specific mousekeeper you get, not the resort itself. We stayed at the WL in December and our room was absolutely spotless. Probably one of the cleanest hotel rooms I had ever stayed in. We had adorable towel animals every day and the housekeeper even found something valuable behind the bed I did not even know I had lost yet, and came and found me the next day to be sure that I had seen that she had put it on the pillow for me to find it. I think her name was Carolyn- at least that's what the card in the room said. She was great! We went back to WL in May and our room was a bit dirty when we checked in. For the 1st part of the week it was not cleaned very will and remained a bit dirty, we had no towel animals, and for the last straw one day they completely skipped us and we came back from the parks in the evening to unmade beds and no towels. That night I called and advised we had been skipped (I didn't say it had been dirty the whole time we were there or that there were no towel animals though as I'm not much of a complainer). The rest of the week, I'm positive someone else was doing our room. The room was suddenly clean every day and towel animals started showing up.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Sorry you did not enjoy yourself...we were there in March and had to change rooms upon arrival because the room they put us in smelled so sour it was hard to breath...it was like a million wet dogs were in there without the AC running!

They moved us across the hall and the room was super dusty, there was a week past the due date milk and open box of cereal on top of the fridge! In the cabinet but on top of the fridge!

We had to constantly request shampoo etc from Mousekeeping because they never left it in the room.

Other than that we had a great stay at the Poly and would stay there again!

 

[cinjam]

Unfortunately, I don't believe people are any different, what is different is WDW and their standards. Sloppy guests don't make the shower moldy. That takes an extended period of housekeeping neglect.
Sloppy, ill-mannered guests make it harder for Disney to keep up with the towels and litter, but that is Disney's constant challenge, and they are failing. It doesn't cost WDW more money to maintain room cleanliness. In fact, cleaning it properly each day will make it easier to maintain in the long run.

As a PP mentioned, it is a very poor excuse to blame budgetary cutbacks as the reason we are reading more and more reports of sub-standard cleanliness. There is no excuse for what the OP experienced. This is an example of lax standards and no oversight.

The OP tries to be sympathetic in rationalizing throwing buckets of filthy, ammonia-laden water onto the walkway in front of Capt. Cook's as evidence that they are too busy to dispose of it properly. Hogwash, it's easier, quicker, and most importantly, there is no negative consequence for doing so. Dumping the mop bucket onto the sidewalk is just contempt for the guests and for management. It doesn't cost WDW more money to dispose of filthy mop water properly.

WDW used to set very high standards for customer service and guest satisfaction, which kept many returning year after year. Should they choose to, they are fully capable of continuing to set high standards. However, I believe they are using the current economy as an excuse to do the minimum with the minimum. This, I believe, is a losing proposition for WDW. Guests who have been returning for many years are noticing the lowering of standards each and every trip; the reduction in amenities (especially CL); and the rising prices, especially for food. Food portions and quality have decreased and there is a smaller menu selection.

Perhaps if more and more people send their complaints directly to resort mgt. and if they see a decrease in repeat guests, WDW will begin to get the message and see the err in their ways.

Well said & right on the money

 

[pinkivy]

I am sorry about your experience. We were there at the same time (June 12-19) and we also stayed in the Tokelau longhouse. Our stay was wonderful and our room was immaculate. I thoroughly inspected the shower for mold, as well as inspected every possible space for crumbs, dust, and bed begs. The only issue we had was housekeeping did a sloppy job of making the beds and putting the towels on the rack. We really enjoyed our stay at the Poly and wouldn't hesitate to return. I would definitely contact management to address your concerns.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Unfortunately, I don't believe people are any different, what is different is WDW and their standards. Sloppy guests don't make the shower moldy. That takes an extended period of housekeeping neglect.
Sloppy, ill-mannered guests make it harder for Disney to keep up with the towels and litter, but that is Disney's constant challenge, and they are failing. It doesn't cost WDW more money to maintain room cleanliness. In fact, cleaning it properly each day will make it easier to maintain in the long run.

As a PP mentioned, it is a very poor excuse to blame budgetary cutbacks as the reason we are reading more and more reports of sub-standard cleanliness. There is no excuse for what the OP experienced. This is an example of lax standards and no oversight.

The OP tries to be sympathetic in rationalizing throwing buckets of filthy, ammonia-laden water onto the walkway in front of Capt. Cook's as evidence that they are too busy to dispose of it properly. Hogwash, it's easier, quicker, and most importantly, there is no negative consequence for doing so. Dumping the mop bucket onto the sidewalk is just contempt for the guests and for management. It doesn't cost WDW more money to dispose of filthy mop water properly.

WDW used to set very high standards for customer service and guest satisfaction, which kept many returning year after year. Should they choose to, they are fully capable of continuing to set high standards. However, I believe they are using the current economy as an excuse to do the minimum with the minimum. This, I believe, is a losing proposition for WDW. Guests who have been returning for many years are noticing the lowering of standards each and every trip; the reduction in amenities (especially CL); and the rising prices, especially for food. Food portions and quality have decreased and there is a smaller menu selection.

Perhaps if more and more people send their complaints directly to resort mgt. and if they see a decrease in repeat guests, WDW will begin to get the message and see the err in their ways.

Thank you for bringing up an excellent point.

Let me remind everyone that Disney fired 10% of it's staff worldwide in January followed by another 1900 at WDW the end of March. (that includes apx 500 positions which were open).

How on earth can you expect the standards to NOT deteriorate when you have had major layoffs.

For those who want to pretend it was just unnecessary middle managers.....so sorry. DH is a 31 year castmember and it was far more widespread than mddle managers.

Additionally, you can only expect so much from a staff person in one day....especially when hours have been slashed to below 32 so Disney is no longer responsible for benefits.

We are beginning to see what a few months of castmember cutbacks looks like.

 

[jimmymac]

Totally agree with your post, except that it does cost more to keep a hotel spotless - it requires sufficient staff. If a mousekeeper only has time to do the bare minimum to a room because she has an unrealistic number of rooms she has to get done during her shift - that is down to Disney cutbacks.

I don't see how anyone who has been a long-term Disney guest can say with a straight face that staff reductions over the years have not affected the quality of the experience.

I totally agree. We stayed at BC in 2007 and notice a very dirty stairwell. We reported it to the manager and he said he'd take care of it immediately. It was in the same condition when we left a week later. Last trip, we'd come back to the room someties at 5:00 in the evening and Mousekeeping were still cleaning rooms. Dirty bathrooms in the parks; overflowing trash cans. With fewer staff doing the same volume of work, quality will sadly have to suffer

 

[SnackyStacky]

My wife and I honeymooned at the Polynesian in 2004 - it was JUST before they began the refurbishment that resulted in the rooms looking the way they do today. We LOVED it! The room decor was a little lost on us, but it was clean, we liked the location, the size of the rooms, and we LOVED the grounds.

When my entire family decided to go, they selected the Polynesian. I was cool with that because we had such a great experience the first time.

It will be a long time before I'd go back. First off, our room wasn't ready until after 3. I know they don't guarantee it until 3 - but it should be ready by 3. I think it wasn't until 4 that we were given the number. Wouldn't be a huge deal if it was just my wife and I - but with a 2 year old in tow, that just wasn't working out. When we got to the room, housekeeping was still there. Mind you, I had ALL of our luggage. She gave me an attitude - I told her I'd gladly leave if I could just put the luggage down. She gave me a song and dance about that because she had to vacuum. I told her I'd leave it on the bed, and she got huffy, but agreed. I IMMEDIATELY went to the front desk to complain. I have to say - they took care of it BEAUTIFULLY.

Beyond that, after such extensive refurbishment, the room really did look run down. I'm sorry - but at the rates we were paying, 1970's acoustical ceiling tile just looks cheap and tacky. There was a big piece of plywood jutting out from the side of the bed. My daughter fell and cracked her head on it.

And at 6'2" - they REALLY need to put the shower heads up a bit higher!!

But for every bad story, there's just as money positive experiences. That's the great thing about Walt Disney World. There's something for everyone. I was just reading a thread about how people just don't like Pop Century - but that's one of my favorites!

 

[wdwxav13]

That is so disappointing to have happened on your magical trip to Disney...what/how did you receive a 40% discount military?...my husband is an honorably discharged person but I wondered what the requirements are to receive it? do you have to be active duty?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Not the OP, but the 40% off room-only and the free/$99 5-day "military salute" tix, are only available to active-duty, reservists, and retirees with retiree ID cards until 12-23. More info. is available on MouseSavers, AllEars, and the Codes and Rates thread.

 

[eliza61]

Totally agree with your post, except that it does cost more to keep a hotel spotless - it requires sufficient staff. If a mousekeeper only has time to do the bare minimum to a room because she has an unrealistic number of rooms she has to get done during her shift - that is down to Disney cutbacks.

I don't see how anyone who has been a long-term Disney guest can say with a straight face that staff reductions over the years have not affected the quality of the experience.

I say it all the time. I've been almost annually since 1990 and the decline in service is so noticeable to me that for the first time I am not planning on a trip in 2010. I'm a dvc member and I always thought I would be travelling to disney for the rest of my life. Unfortunately I simply can't justify the cutbacks with the price increases. For me it's just not only the resorts, it's mediocre service every where from cutbacks in Fantasmic to removing signature dishes from the menu to gift shops carrying the same merchandise over and over with no individuality. Please tell me why a huge company like Disney cant get a better computer service yet how many times do I call and the "system" is down. The simplest problem will take hours to fix due to poorly trained CM's, etc etc.

I wrote the last 2 visits, got very nice standardized responses. Now I'm voicing my displeasure with my pocket book. This August is my last trip until the 4 seasons opens. I'm hoping a little outside competition my spur better service.

 

[boltfans]

We were at the Poly the same time as you (17-21) and didn't experience any of those issues. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you are making it up, but maybe we were just luckier and weren't around at those times. We had a concierge garden view room but were upgraded to a lagoon view room, basically directly across from the castle. Also, it was on the first floor so we could walk right out to the beach and lay in the hammocks while the kids played in the sand. That alone gave us a pretty good feeling about the resort (we have stayed there a few times in the past anyway). We had great housekeeping, no issues of mold or any kind of dirt/mildew anywhere. Everything was perfect in our room. We never used the quiet pool and really only vaguely passed it walking to/from the TTC, so I don't know about the actual pool area, but we didn't see any towels on paths or anything. In fact, we commented about how we never saw any trash anywhere after watching a bunch of people eat and stuff on the beach during fireworks one night. We did use the main pool a few times and enjoyed that and there were no issues of old towels laying around there. We only went in Captain Cook's the last day for lunch, but no cleaning was going on at the time.

Overall, we thought it was a great stay and tried to rebook for the same resort when we return in November, but it was already booked up (big conference in orlando then, which we are attending, so we knew the chances were slim).

 

[jackemail]

Truly sorry you had problems at Poly. I was last there in October (about my 3oth stay at Poly), and every last detail of the place was magical. Great luck for me, not such great luck for you, it seems.