Concierge at Poly

[jennibug]

Is it really worth it??

 

[catnik]

Jenni:
Depends on what "is it worth it" means to you.....

We enjoyed the numerous snack/food offerings throughout the day, the closeness of the lounge to allow our children to run down "for a minute" without worrying, the incredible view of Wishes from the lounge, the pre-planning staff that arranged a special "welcome celebration" for one of our children, the location of the Hawaii bldg to the volcano pool, beach, etc. We stayed concierge with the expectation of excellent bldg location, assist by the pre-planning staff and lounge offerings and we were very happy with our experiences. Set your expectations accordingly and I think you will really enjoy your stay!

 

[turnlisa]

I think this is a question that you need to ask yourself. For us, the view is worth the extra money. I love parting the curtains in the morning to look out at the castle and watching the fireworks from our balcony. Then you add on the help with those hard to get PS's (CRT, Pirate Cruise, etc.), the food in the lounge, the extra attention from the staff, and turndown service. After staying concierage at the Poly, we can't imagine NOT staying concierage on Disney property. Will be trying out WL Concierage in February.

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

Take this with a grain of salt because we have not done concierge at WDW yet, however for this trip we decided against it because we would not be around to take advantage of concierge's advantages. We didn't want any hard to get PS arrangements, I'm allergic to the majority of their listed breakfast foods, and we would not be at the resort in the afternon for the food offerings then. Now, if we had children, would be returning to resorts in the afternoon, wanted to do things like a Pirates cruis for our kids, etc. then concierge would seem a lot better to us, and we would proibably do it.

Bottom line: Concierge is GREAT if you take advantage of it. But if it's advantages are not going to really benefit you, then it's hard to justify the extra cost. You'll have to weight the pros and cons yourself depending on your vacation style.

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

I agree with the previous posters. I know I've responded to several other similar posts over the past few weeks, and I'll repeat that we thought it was worth it!

We have two children aged 7 who thoroughly enjoyed coming "home" from the parks each day to the lounge. We ate breakfast every day there (kids not into character meals) as well as many lite dinners and evening and midday snacks.

We enjoyed the view, the location to the pool and beach, and the atmosphere.

We never used the pre-planning staff or had them make any PSs either before or during our trip.

However, on a pure $s sense, I do not think that our family "ate" $100 of food each day (i.e. cost to stay concierge).

The value to us was more than just the food.

 

[kirbsam]

Polyherewecome: I absolutely agree with you. My family uses concierge mainly for the convenience of the lounge, breakfast, and snacks. We certainly dont get our moeys worth with food, but the convenience of it makes it worth it to us. My kids love to woalk to the lounge in the morning or afternoon or evening and grab a snack. Especially nice when we get back from the parks. We dont use the other services very much.

 

[Suzanne74]

I am debating poly concierge right now. I almost booked it but wanted to come here first to see if it is worth it. I guess my main question is, do you get a better hotel room location - is it close to the lounge or do you have to request this??? I hate to walk far with a 3 yr old just for the lounge. Also is there any difference in garden and lagoon rooms besides the view? Also how do they help with PS's - do you just ask at check in, how can they get CRT when they are all booked up? Wow that was ALOT of questions Really though, I am almost sold!!!

For the OP, overall thought I think it will be worth it for us this trip. DH is doing some business in Orlando so he will be to and from alot and my 3 yr old DD and I will be relaxing and doing some parks. We always come back everyday for afternoon breaks for naps and we plan on spending a day or two just around the resorts. This is what is making me ugrade to concierge. Normally we are at the parks all the time (I can't stay away) but since this last minute trip came up, I thought, lets ham it up at the Poly, relax and visit a park here and there.

So, if you need the extra treatment and will be there to utilize it, I think it looks to be worth it. If you are an early riser and not heading back until the parks close, I can't see how it would be worth it. Another thing I hear (and am afraid of if I do it), once you do concierge it is HARD to go back to standard room. That might hurt us financially in the long run

 

[CaipiraBob]

I'll echo everyone else on the food. It's not a food service, but very convenient to be able to enjoy the continental breakfast and the multitude of snacks that are offered throughout the rest of the day.

We are big into Disney dining and do a lot of character meals or restaurants. OTOH, there are times when a stop in the lounge for their appeatizers turns out to be as much as we can handle for the evening. The endless cookies and gummie bears for the children is wonderful.

Altogether between the convenience of the lounge to stretch out your feet, the offerings and the personal service of the concierge desk with planning and reservation changes, we believe it's worth the money.

 

[ducklite]

Only you can decide if it's worth it.

It's not a meal plan. It's a higher level of service, added amenities, less lines.

At the Polynesian, we like staying concierge as we book a lagoon view room and it's a good way of guaranteeing a castle view.

The lounge is in the same building as the rooms, so you're never more than a few steps from your door to the lounge.

The lounge has lots of comfortable seating, and unlike some other WDW resort CL's, it's open all day with soda, coffee, and fresh fruit.

If you are commando guests, then it's likely not for you. If you like to do the planning all by yourself and bristle at teh thought of paying for something you can do yourself, then it's not for you. If it's stretching your budget, it's not for you.

Anne

 

[gw_lit]

I guess my main question is, do you get a better hotel room location - is it close to the lounge or do you have to request this??? I hate to walk far with a 3 yr old just for the lounge.

The concierge rooms and the lounge are in the Hawaii longhouse (unless you got with an expensive suite, which are in the Tonga longhouse). Basically the lounge is at one end of the building and there's a long hallway with the room doors stretching the length of the building. I'm sure you can request being closer to the lounge, but you are also closer to the elevators, and I noticed at times it can be a little louder on that end of the building since so many people congregate there. In my view, anywhere in the building is fine, and I'd actually prefer to be at the end away from the lounge.

Also is there any difference in garden and lagoon rooms besides the view?

Yes... price! Really, no difference in the room layout.

Also how do they help with PS's - do you just ask at check in, how can they get CRT when they are all booked up?

They send you a pre-trip planning itinerary where you can put down all of your requests and send it back to them. It seems like the concierge staff has some "special powers" (pixie dust?) that helps get you those hard to get PS's. I wouldn't expect them to get you CRT 30 days out or the day before, but you never know. You can also email them after your PS's are made and tweak things as your touring plans change.

We always come back everyday for afternoon breaks for naps and we plan on spending a day or two just around the resorts. This is what is making me ugrade to concierge.

I think it makes sense, especially if you're coming back to the room in the afternoon and spending a couple of days just at the resorts. You'll get a lot more benefit from the lounge.

 

[Suzanne74]

Thanks everyone. I just found a great website www.tikiman2001.com that had lots of info and pics on Poly and their concierge. I like the fact that the whole building is concierge. I was afraid there were just random rooms with concierge upgrade. I feel that we will use the service a lot and DH feels better with us there while he is away at business so we upgraded today

We leave in a week so I won't be able to take advantage of the itinerary they mail out. I guess I will just get it when I check in. When I get back I'll report. Thanks again!!