BIG disappointment in Poly Concierge..

[Mom2Rae]

I was so excited to go and figured the price would be well worth it...WRONG.

First off, the concierge staff was rude. I paid cash for our park hoppers when we got there and because I had two different reservations she wanted me to check back in the next day and have a park hoppers be on our room key cards...I told her I wanted to go ahead and get the park hoppers since my 5 year old daughter is going to want to hit the parks running first thing in the morning..she kept INSISTING that I do the park hopper HER way until I finally said 'GET OVER IT ALREADY". After she checked me in she handed me the lais and goes "Here"....gee, thanks for the warm hawaiian welcome.

I had arranged prior to checking in that a Mickey hat with my daugher's name on it be in the room along with a Mickey and Minnie plush...NOT IN THE ROOM. I was pissed. They said their runner was sick and couldn't get to it...it was later put in the room.

The room was clean and new and all but I thought a bit dark. And you can't turn off the exhaust fan in the bathroom and I got sick of hearing that thing run. I miss the old canopy's over the beds. The TV is nice if you don't have to turn it up loud..the sound will crack if you do. And the bathroom showerhead.....it's so low that I thought it was a Candid Camera trick! I'm 5'2 and I had trouble with it....my poor husband almost had to shower on his knees!

The concierge food offerings got old real quick. The morning was nothing more than continental and waaaay too many sweets for kids. The afternoon was the biggest let down...pretzels, nuts, gold fish and salsa and chips..not even PB & J's for the kids. Evening fare was better..at least something hot for a change but you feel like a 16 year old trying to get anything alcoholic. You have to "ask" for a beer and you can't get more than one without proof that your spouse is in the room and you're getting one for her/him..so ID of some sort is required...WHAT? I don't care if I want 6 beers at once...I'm paying $500 a night for this?? Please..

The staff was nothing special. I had grand illusions of staying CONCIERGE and there is nothing grand about it or the staff. They barely talked. One morning they had these HUGE bagels and I heard one customer ask for a small one for her daughter and the staff member got it for her..so I then asked for one for my daughter and she goes "When the big ones are all gone we'll be putting the little ones out"...I then told her that my daughter shouldn't have to wait for 20 more bagels to be eaten before she could eat something appropriate for her size. Then the small bages had no slice in them..people were pulling them apart with their fingers making a total mess of their bagels....we were all laughing about it.

I love the Poly and have stayed there many times but will never pay for concierge again...it's simply not worth it.

 

[lucincia]

Sorry you had a bad experience. I personally cannot understand spending extra for concierge myself.

What do you get out of concierge?

From what I can gather, food is not that great. For couple hundred dollars more each night, I can go eat at Le Cellar every night.

Service? Isn't Disney all about service? We chatted with our mousekeeper in the hallway when we bumped into her the first day. The kids babbled with her and the mousekeeper seemed to enjoy the attention. Guess very few people actually stop and chat with her. We got a lot of special attentions in our room for the rest of the week.

Planning? I thought we're all on DIS because we're maniac planners. I wouldn't trust someone else planning my trip

Now, if they can give me unlimited fast pass to any rides I want, that's a different story

 

[Minnie824]

I just wanted to say that we recently returned from the Beach Club concierge and had many of the same issues that you had with the Poly. We had a great trip, but we're planning on trying somewhere different next time.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We stayed at Poly Conceirge 3 years ago. We thought it was nice, though we got a deeply discounted room due to DH's airline employee discount.

I agree for what you get $500.00 a night, no way! And since they took DH's discount away, that will be our one and only stay.

 

[71010]

I have never understood the Concierge Service at WDW. Quite frankly, its not real Concierge. A true concierge can get you tickets for sold out events, limo in 5 minutes, ask you if you need a massage just because you look tired, and anything else you require. They are supposed to take care of you, not you having to request everything you want. Its not a glass of wine and a few food items out. I think its an option Disney should be leaving out.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I'm sorry the OP had such a poor experience at the Poly concierge. Our family has stayed on the concierge floor at other Disney resorts and enjoyed the experience (WL, BC, CR). The staff has always been wonderful, helping with last minute reservations, fixing "lost" ADRs, helping us ship things home, providing great touring tips, making our 2 DD's feel extra special. We've always felt we got our money's worth from the experiences.

 

[jarestel]

I guess concierge service is one of those things where the value is in the eye of the beholder. Some swear by it, and others swear at it.

 

[lucincia]

I'm sorry the OP had such a poor experience at the Poly concierge. Our family has stayed on the concierge floor at other Disney resorts and enjoyed the experience (WL, BC, CR). The staff has always been wonderful, helping with last minute reservations, fixing "lost" ADRs, helping us ship things home, providing great touring tips, making our 2 DD's feel extra special. We've always felt we got our money's worth from the experiences.

Just curious - do you think you would have gotten similar experience without being on the concierge level? This is not a flame just curious as to what you think?

I agree with poster "71010", concierge in Disney seems to be defined differently from other 5 stars resorts. From what I read on DIS, concierge at WDW seems to be just a minor extension of typical Disney service, with some cheap food thrown in for good measure. At other resorts we have stayed at (non-WDW), the concierge seems to be mind readers. It's like having a personal travel guide and personal butler at your service at all time, rather than just someone to go to for help.

 

[maxiesmom]

And the bathroom showerhead.....it's so low that I thought it was a Candid Camera trick! I'm 5'2 and I had trouble with it....my poor husband almost had to shower on his knees!

You have hit one of my pet peeves. What is with the child sized showers? I'm always afraid that I will flip over backwards trying to wash my hair!

 

[sotoalf]

I'll take issue with a couple of your points.

(1) The concierge employee insisted ona sking for ID because it's Florida law. She has no way of knowing if you're going to give those beers to minors - like your daughter for instance.

(2) I've had my own beefs with Disney's obstinacy in consolidating room keys and park tickets; but if I were that employee to whom you said "Get it over it already" I'd have hung you from the shower with the lei.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Just curious - do you think you would have gotten similar experience without being on the concierge level? This is not a flame just curious as to what you think?

No flames taken!

We've stayed at Disney several times non-concierge and had a wonderful time. Same for staying concierge. For us, it's more a matter of what we want from our WDW vacation. We value having access to the concierge lounge for snacks and beverages. We've had some awesome experiences with some concierge staff (Randall at WL and Bill at CR come to mind immediately) who went above-and-beyond to make our trips extra magical. We've received help in resolving problems numerous times.

Could we have had similar experiences without staying on the concierge level? Yes and no. We could have done a grocery stop and stocked up on sodas and snacks. We probably could have made calls to fix ADRs or resolve other problems ourselves. But I don't think we could have done some of the "above and beyond" things that concierge did for us.

 

[polyman]

We've stayed LVC 4 times now. I agree that the extra $$ you pay for it is more than the food and drink that you get. What we like is the convenience of it all. With a family of 5, it is easy to get up in the morning, shower, and head down to the lounge for breakfast. We aren't a big breakfast family, so cereal, fruit, muffins and bagels are just right, for us. When we return to the resort in the afternoon, we enjoy the cookies, water and soda while we hang out by the pool. What I enjoy the most is the location of the bulding. In my opinion, it provides the best view in all if WDW. That stinks that the service you received from the staff was not up to par. We've been lucky in that respect. We've had some great conversations with Chef Dick, and some of the mousekeepers.

 

[Wendi]

While we have stayed at several different Conceirge levels, we have found that it is a hit or miss. I doesn't appear that you have to be an "over and beyond" type of castmember to work there, just assigned there. We found the Yacht Club Conceirge level to be Outstanding compared to the others. It seemed that at the GF and Polynesian that if you didn't want to "High Roll" them and whip out the cash you just got snubbed in a way. We have always been nice and polite with out ever getting upset with waiting, but when you get pushed to the back of the line because a guy comes from his room and hands the castmember a $20 and asks to get a PS for the Contemporary............that's wrong. While talking to a few castmembers they have even commented that they get sick and tired of all the "could you", "would you mind", "it's my son's Birthday" Crap. And that is exactly the way they said it. While that was hard to swallow, I thought it was their job being that you ARE paying extra to have that assistance. It just seems that it now a days it is basically for a faster (at times) check in, better view and better building location. The Castmembers are allowed to have a bad day, but good heavens don't take it out on the people that are paying their paychecks.
Whle Magic can happen at any time........you just can't bank on it and don't expect it. Even if you pay for the Conceirge. While everyone's expectations are different, as a norm most people just want the PS's, the Birthday help or other small assistances which is what they should be prepared for. It seems that the Castmembers are the one's that decide who gets treated special, average or below average no matter how much you spend. It should NEVER be based on whether or not they "Think" that they like that person. Some people are fake while others are sincere even they are fooled some times.
For our family I will stick to our preference of room and do for ourselves. Unless it is a deal to not pass up, conceirge is just not worth full price.

 

[MermaidsMom]

We've stayed LVC 4 times now. I agree that the extra $$ you pay for it is more than the food and drink that you get. What we like is the convenience of it all. With a family of 5, it is easy to get up in the morning, shower, and head down to the lounge for breakfast. We aren't a big breakfast family, so cereal, fruit, muffins and bagels are just right, for us. When we return to the resort in the afternoon, we enjoy the cookies, water and soda while we hang out by the pool. What I enjoy the most is the location of the bulding. In my opinion, it provides the best view in all if WDW. That stinks that the service you received from the staff was not up to par. We've been lucky in that respect. We've had some great conversations with Chef Dick, and some of the mousekeepers.

That's the same thing with us, we simply enjoy the convience of getting coffee right away and not waiting in line for breakfast, etc. The buildings usually are in the most convient locations (not so much the BWI lounge) and have the best views. Many times we have had the staff help us with lost tickets and other problems that would've taken a long time in line if we had done it on our own. I have had both bad and good experiences in concierge at WDW and absolutely agree that compared to other hotel chains they are lacking in the personal care department. I have the feeling that they almost resent the "guest" because they fear the "guest" will try to take advantage of them, and the "guest" sometimes take advantage of them because of the way they are treated by the staff. I believe that almost everyone starts their vacation with a good/hopeful attitude and if they meet up with the right staff people they will have an awesome time. However if they meet with the occasional stinkers then the vacation takes a quick turn downward. When large amounts of money are being spent people expect a little more than an average time.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I guess concierge service is one of those things where the value is in the eye of the beholder. Some swear by it, and others swear at it.

We've had hit or miss with concierge also, but we still savor the experience on special occasions.

 

[thelionqueen]

and only because it was not paid for by us I would never pay that amount for a concierge room @ Disney. This is just my opinion, but that is money that is just thrown away. The rooms are OK, but I've had a better room at an AP rate. I've always been treated like concierge no matter where I stay (some CM's are hit & miss though). I pay enough to stay @ Disney, and to me the only difference was the food and a little quicker check-in.

We stay @ DVC resorts now, but have stayed @ most of the Deluxes and some values as well. I would much rather stop by the new Super Wal-Mart before check-in, get fresh fruit, nuts, snacks, muffins, soda, etc. and take to our room w/kitchen or kitchenette. I figure by doing this, I am saving time, saving about $2000 over concierge and get exactly what I want.

If I had money to burn, I probably still wouldn't stay concierge, just my .02

 

[cjsmom5]

Our experience with concierge staff at AKL this year was different. They were very much there to serve us ... especially those working the food portion. We asked for something and in a snap we had it. Theresa was absolutely wonderful. One morning my son and I were working on getting his homework done in the lounge. It was noticed and they graciously brought over a pen and pencil (special) for him since he was doing homework at DisneyWorld. We were celebrating our 25th and they sent a nice card and cake to our room, much to our suprise. I asked if they had a FedEx box and her only question was "what size" and in 10 minutes she had gone downstairs, found two and brought both to me. The checkin service was routine ... nothing special but no wait. The food wasn't bad. The evening offerings were nice as they were from Bomas ... the rest was norm ... continental breakfast and very light snacks. But, overall we were very satisfied with concierge at AKL. There the sunrise safari is wonderful and a very nice advantage for those staying concierge -- even though you pay extra for the safari.

I think that sometimes it is hit and miss. People are people and it seems Disney is trying to get by with fewer people. A couple we talked to were working 60-75 hours a week ... so one can see how that would affect attitude, etc. They simply couldn't get enough people to work. And, you do not have to be "chosen" from what I can figure out ... to work concierge ... a warm body works. And, I think that is what is beginning to become evident in Disney's concierge -- unlike many other 4 and 5 start staff workign concierge at non-Disney hotels. But, we loved AKL concierge this trip!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

...but you feel like a 16 year old trying to get anything alcoholic. You have to "ask" for a beer and you can't get more than one without proof that your spouse is in the room and you're getting one for her/him..so ID of some sort is required...WHAT? I don't care if I want 6 beers at once...I'm paying $500 a night for this?? Please..

That's federal liquor laws, not Disney. You could be paying $5,000 a night, it doesn't matter. One drink per person, proof required. If you look under 30 years of age, be prepared to show ID. The cast members were just doing thier job by following the policies and the law. If you have an issue with these laws, a better place to voice it would be with your congress person.

 

[lucincia]

That's federal liquor laws, not Disney. You could be paying $5,000 a night, it doesn't matter. One drink per person, proof required. If you look under 30 years of age, be prepared to show ID. The cast members were just doing thier job by following the policies and the law. If you have an issue with these laws, a better place to voice it would be with your congress person.

That's why you buy a case at WalMart or Publix and take it to your room

 

[Mom2Rae]

(2) I've had my own beefs with Disney's obstinacy in consolidating room keys and park tickets; but if I were that employee to whom you said "Get it over it already" I'd have hung you from the shower with the lei.[/QUOTE]


Hey, take it easy...Geez....the concierge castmember kept going on and on and on and on and on until I had sat there for 10 minutes listening to her repeat herself...the fact is that she didn't want to take $650 in cash...another guest from the hotel said she's had issues with the concierge staff taking cash...they would rather take a charge card. I had just come off a 12 hour drive, arrived at a room where items I had paid $40 for was not there as promised for my dd, was told that the printer was broken so a copy of my adr's couldn't be comprised then...etc... The castmember also said "well, if you lose them you're out the money since they can't be traced so Disney won't be able to do anything for you"....she was a real gem.

Now, you were speaking of lei's...would you like me to tell you what else you can do with it???