Just returned from 10 days at the Poly - just not worth it!

[wijkowski]

For years, my wife and I always wanted to stay at the Polynesian. Not that we did not enjoy the other Disney resorts we have stayed at, we did. The Polynesian always seemed a bit more magical than the other resorts.

We received a pin code via email for 35% off the Poly in September, so we decided the time was now. Even with the 35% discount, it was roughly $330.00 a night on average.

Upon check in, we received our leis and proceeded to our room. We like to go to our room without our luggage so that we can snap photos. While walking to the room, the landscape was as expected - very lush with a tropical feel. When entering the room, we discovered the room was not much more than a typical moderate room.
Sure, it is a bit larger and has a flat screen TV, but nothing that would justify the cost.

We did (3) evening EMH (two at MK and one at EPCOT) in addition to MNSSHP. The monorail was not in operation when returning to the room. We were aware of the limited service a few weeks before we left, so it was not a surprise. What was a surprise was the wait at the MK for direct boat service. Literally hundreds of people waiting for a boat that holds maybe 30 people. So over to the crowded bus line - NOT what i paid $330.00 a night for.

When getting breakfast at Captain Cooks, it was also a bit of a hassle. We ordered food via the touch screen and stood in line to pay. Once we paid, we received a pager that would alert us when our food was ready. Not a deal breaker, but why make us wait for a breakfast platter that is immediately available at all other resort food courts? There were (2) cashiers and (2) cooks, so this method seems like an obvious cost cutting measure that is a negative for the customer.

So let's compare the Polynesian to a moderate resort.
- Landscaping - depends on what you prefer. We did like the landscaping at the Polynesian, but we like the landscaping the POR and POFQ a bit better.
- Transportation - The Polynesian being on the monorail is an obvious winner, but with the limited service, the difference between resorts is not that dramatic.
- Food - Maybe a slight advantage to the Polynesian as Kona and 'Ohana are fantastic. The food courts at the moderates are leaps and bounds better than Captain Cooks.
- Room amenities - We prefer the rooms and room layout at the moderates. Both have ceiling fans, fridge and an overall comfortable feel. We did prefer the double sinks outside the bathroom at the moderates. At the Polynesian, we had one sink inside the bathroom.
- Pools - The main pool at the Polynesian is very nice, but we prefer the quiet pools. The Polynesian has one quiet pool while the moderates have several.

To us, the Polynesian is extremely over priced. With the pin code we received, we could have literally paid for (2) full ten day vacations at a moderate resort for the price we paid at the Polynesian.

While very beautiful with great full service restaurants, the Polynesian is over priced and simply not worth the cost in our opinion.

Ron

 

[Day-Day]

I agree for the most part. I would pay a little extra to stay at the Polynesian over my favorite moderate, Port Orleans Riverside but not the current difference. (Maybe $25 a night?)

We had a 40% bounce-back discount last month so we stayed at the Poly for the first time. I like the rooms better at the Poly and the transportation to MK and EPCOT. I much prefer the food court at POR over Captain Cooks; we don't eat very often at a Disney full-service restaurant. We always have a car so the transportation is not even a real big deal.

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge once with a good discount. I won't stay there over POR now even if the cost for WL was less (maybe if it was a lot less)...

 

[wijkowski]

I agree for the most part. I would pay a little extra to stay at the Polynesian over my favorite moderate, Port Orleans Riverside but not the current difference. (Maybe $25 a night?)

We had a 40% bounce-back discount last month so we stayed at the Poly for the first time. I like the rooms better at the Poly and the transportation to MK and EPCOT. I much prefer the food court at POR over Captain Cooks; we don't eat very often at a Disney full-service restaurant. We always have a car so the transportation is not even a real big deal.

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge once with a good discount. I won't stay there over POR now even if the cost for WL was less (maybe if it was a lot less)...

May I ask why you are down on the Wilderness Lodge? We are considering a stay there.

Ron

 

[Magalex]

Thanks for this review & comparison. We always stayed on-site at a value or moderate but have always wonder if we should go for it & stay at a deluxe. It seems I read more & more reviews it is now not worth staying at a deluxe with the current prices. We are actually considering staying at a DTD hotel because we are finding great prices (even with resort fees/parking fees).

 

[woodkins]

I will say that I totally agree with you on the monorail issue, that is one of the major reasons why we loved staying at the Poly, not that it has been discontinued it is a big disappointment.

I have to Disagree with you on the setup of Capt. Cooks. I LOVE that you order all of your meals at once, pay and get the pager & then your entire order is ready and on a tray for pickup. I HATE having to stand on 3 different lines at the mod and value food courts when one of us wants pancakes, another wants a breakfast platter etc. The convenience of placing my order & paying and then being able to get a seat, get beverages and utencils etc. and picking up the ENTIRE order at once is awesome.

 

[mariamouse]

I am sorry that the Poly did not live up to your expectations.

I am especially disheartened to hear about the ridiculous wait to catch a boat to the Poly after EMH. I think it is a total outrage that guests paying extra to stay at a "monorail" resort are now being forced to exclusively take buses from the MK. Ridiculous and completely unacceptable, IMO. We are staying at the GF in two months and hoping that we will not have the same experience waiting for a boat after MVMCP/EMH.

In regard to the Poly rooms, I have always found them to be very spacious... but we have only stayed in Tokelau, so I'm not sure if room sizes differ between longhouses. We have never tried Captain Cook's, but agree that the table service restaurants are fantastic! I have always heard great things about CC in comparison to other deluxe food courts, but the pager system is odd.

I am glad that you at least gave the Poly a try and can now revert back to visiting the resorts you now know you love most. I am still a Poly/BC girl at heart, but can readily acknowledge that both of these resorts often have serious flaws in customer service, etc.

Thank you for sharing your experience and I hope your next trip is a better value!

 

[autismgoesdisney]

Isn't it awesome that you tried, know its not for you, and now can go to a moderate not feeling there's something out there better for you???

I don't know but we can only afford moderates right now and seriously every time I wish we can try Poly. I kind of wish we just did it, didn't think it was worth the upgrade and was over it LOL!

With that said, I do agree with a PP that said the pager at Captain Cooks sounds great! I hate standing on 3-5 different lines each breakfast for our family of five. it would be so much easier just to order it, and go get it all at once!

 

[allijoe]

I know how you feel. The poly has always been dream of mine since I was a child. I live the themeing. The price is outrageous. We stayed for 9 nights afew years ago. I'm glad I tried it but don't think we will be back for an overnight visit. It's great that WDW has so many options. All of the resorts have their pros and cons. We are lucky that we got the chance to experience the place. Now you know.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

wijkowski So sorry to hear that you and your DW didn't like the Poly and thank you for your report. DH and I are not Poly fans either and this was the reason why we never stayed there. But our DS is a Poly fan so we decided to book two nights as a surprise for him next June.

Well, at least you know now that the Poly is not for you and that you can stay at the resorts that you and your DW love the most.

 

[robinbutterfly]

We love staying in Deluxe resorts but when I read posts like this, it makes me curious about the difference in moderate resorts.
Well like others said, at least you know now!

 

[rusty4]

We have not stayed at the POLY yet. We stayed at the GF last year. We really missed POR on that trip. The monorail was nice though. This year we are trying BC. Epcot is our favorite park so I really think that we will love it. We go on a convention rate though. If we were going on our own dime for regular prices POR would win hands down for us every time.

 

[Tony-NJ]

We've done both Mod's and deluxe and stayed at the Poly 10 nights - 11 years ago. We loved the Poly - then we boght DVC. However if we had to pay these prices now we would probably pick CBR again. the monorail issue alone would drive me crazy after paying that much money.

We loved the theming of the Poly but also loved the CBR. The rooms were more spacious at Poly but the layout at the CR was a little more convenient.

The more I type - the more upset i would be about that monorail!

 

[autismgoesdisney]

Ok I am really confused. What is the issue with the monorail?

 

[Belleofthehouse]

I will say that I totally agree with you on the monorail issue, that is one of the major reasons why we loved staying at the Poly, not that it has been discontinued it is a big disappointment.

I have to Disagree with you on the setup of Capt. Cooks. I LOVE that you order all of your meals at once, pay and get the pager & then your entire order is ready and on a tray for pickup. I HATE having to stand on 3 different lines at the mod and value food courts when one of us wants pancakes, another wants a breakfast platter etc. The convenience of placing my order & paying and then being able to get a seat, get beverages and utencils etc. and picking up the ENTIRE order at once is awesome.

I agree. I hated standing in the different lines at POR. The system at Capt. Cooks was great, and we love the food there.
Poly has a very special place for us. Sorry to hear the trip was not up to par; seems like the monorail problems put a damper on things. It is definitely a perk to staying there.
I will always prefer a deluxe to anything else. IMHO, there are many positive differences that justify the cost.

 

[sharadoc]

We look at the rooms as the "same" pretty much. Then the price differences are what is outside the door - the amenities, entertainment, on-site food choices, theme and landscaping, etc.

This past trip we tried the Contemporary MK view for a couple of days, then moved to OKW. We like CR for those couple of days, but wouldn't like it for the whole trip. We didn't like the constant "traffic" of guests going to the on-site restaurants, using the elevators, monorail, etc. Not complaining, just didn't like it.

We liked the Contempo Cafe, same concept as Capt. Cooks. Ordering and getting the beeper was really convenient. We went to POFQ and POR food courts while at OKW for a change of pace. Hated the separate lines, waiting for food to be done, etc. Much prefer the Deluxe version of the food "court" idea.

Room itself, I agree with you. A moderate room would have been the same, perhaps even better. It's what we get stepping out of the room that we prefer at the Deluxe resorts. If that's not important to you, then there's no reason to spend that extra money. Sorry that you had to spend so much to find that out. Hopefully that won't keep you from going back soon!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

I tend to agree with your review, too. DH and I stayed there last August. We were able to capitalize on the snafu Expedia had when they listed it for $140/night. We enjoyed sitting on the beach, sipping on a Lapu Lapu, but you can do that when you don't stay there. We actually prefer the WL to the Poly. Still, it's nice to say you've at least stayed there and tried it out.

 

[damien]

I get what the OP is saying. You build up this resort in your mind and think for the price it's got to be spectacular. We love the Poly, but there's nothing huge that separates the mods from Deluxes. What we like about the Poly are:

Large Rooms - 160 sq ft is quite a bit larger.
Location - Monorail to MK and Epcot. Simple.
Atmosphere - Love the hammocks on the beaches, palm trees and tiki torches.

If that stuff isn't important to you, then there's nothing special about the Deluxe Resorts. The GF is beautiful, but the rooms themselves are a huge letdown. They're smaller than the Poly's, and just left us saying "This is the flagship resort?"

 

[goofybabe]

Sorry to hear that Poly was a letdown .There is so much hype about it on the threads ,but I guess the draw for me is the memories we have been going there since our kids were 6 and 8 now they will be 22 and 19 when we go back in January.Sadly I have to agree about there prices they are going up when economy is going down I think this will have to be our last visit unless we win the lottery!LOL . Iwill probably have to book another resort after this visit.

 

[DWDude]

We did (3) evening EMH (two at MK and one at EPCOT) in addition to MNSSHP. The monorail was not in operation when returning to the room. We were aware of the limited service a few weeks before we left, so it was not a surprise. What was a surprise was the wait at the MK for direct boat service. Literally hundreds of people waiting for a boat that holds maybe 30 people. So over to the crowded bus line - NOT what i paid $330.00 a night for.

Ron

That would suck. So how do we get back to the POLY????
Can you swim?

wow

 

[daraddg]

thanks for this review, we are staying mod but I was envious of the Poly..now this kind of confirms what I thought