Concierge/Club Level Information - Part II (Sept 2009)

[lovesdumbo]

After doing some research I think that we are torn between Club Level at the Polynesian and Club Level at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We came up with a few questions to ask:

1.*Has anyone ever had problems with the cleanliness of the rooms at the Polynesian Club Level?

2. Are the Club Level Garden View rooms the same size as the rest of the standard Garden View rooms?

3. What sorts of afternoon snacks do they serve at the Polynesian? Gummy sharks, pretzels etc? The same snacks as the other resorts club level lounge offerings?

4. Do they perhaps serve Jack Daniels in the evening (it is not for me )?

Thank you all so much for the answers to these questions - I appreciate it!!

1. never a problem with room condition.

2. same size as some other garden view rooms in the "original" longhouses. Some newer lounge houses have bigger rooms. The GV CL rooms are the same size as the TPV CL rooms.

3. chips, salsa, gold fish, popcorn, gummies, pretzels, whole fruit, cookies,....

4. don't know

Does anyone know if there is grass between the patio and the sand at The Poly Hawaii building? We're staying CL TPV for the first time. I requested a ground level room. Is the sand right up to the patio? I've never been on that side of Hawaii and I'm just trying to visualize.
TIA

There would be grass, then a sidewalk, then the beach.

 

[kaffinito]

After doing some research I think that we are torn between Club Level at the Polynesian and Club Level at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We came up with a few questions to ask:

1.*Has anyone ever had problems with the cleanliness of the rooms at the Polynesian Club Level?

2. Are the Club Level Garden View rooms the same size as the rest of the standard Garden View rooms?

3. What sorts of afternoon snacks do they serve at the Polynesian? Gummy sharks, pretzels etc? The same snacks as the other resorts club level lounge offerings?

4. Do they perhaps serve Jack Daniels in the evening (it is not for me )?

Thank you all so much for the answers to these questions - I appreciate it!!

What lovesdumbo said.

 

[PrincessLilly]

Thank you for the answers!!!!

 

[BCV23]

Barb - thanks again! You are a wealth of information. I'll email IPO and see if they are able to reserve one. If not, we may just bring the one we rented.
Not a question I thought I'd be asking!

Bringing your rental from home might be a great idea. The walk in the airport alone can be long. You can gate check the chair....oh, wait. You drive, don't you? Forget that advice then and just read Sue's.

Wheelchairs at the resorts can't be reserved ahead of time and are first-come, first served.

Even if you plan to borrow one from the resort, I usually suggest people bring along the names/contact information for some of the off-site rental companies.
Some posters have had good success with getting a wheelchair from the resort and others have posted that there either were none available or the ones that were available were not suitable (extra wide when they needed narrow) or were not in good condition.
If you follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, post #2 has information about wheelchair and ECVs.

As always, Sue's advice is right on. When our daughter was still quite young, the only chair available at the Polynesian one time was a huge, oversized thing. She could barely keep her balance in it. As I recall, we had our younger son ride with her to help take up space. Luckily, a smaller one was turned in our first day and we were able to exchange.

At the BC, I was told that they only have one size and that they have plenty. Still, I would do just as Sue recommended and have a list with you if you don't take the rental on the trip.

 

[Tess]

After doing some research I think that we are torn between Club Level at the Polynesian and Club Level at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We came up with a few questions to ask:

1.*Has anyone ever had problems with the cleanliness of the rooms at the Polynesian Club Level?

2. Are the Club Level Garden View rooms the same size as the rest of the standard Garden View rooms?

3. What sorts of afternoon snacks do they serve at the Polynesian? Gummy sharks, pretzels etc? The same snacks as the other resorts club level lounge offerings?

4. Do they perhaps serve Jack Daniels in the evening (it is not for me )?

Thank you all so much for the answers to these questions - I appreciate it!!

Since you have answers to the others, I can tell you the answer to #4 is no--there is no Jack in the lounge.

We've always had very clean rooms in Hawaii.

 

[BCV23]

We've always had very clean rooms in Hawaii.

Ditto.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Bringing your rental from home might be a great idea. The walk in the airport alone can be long. You can gate check the chair....oh, wait. You drive, don't you? Forget that advice then and just read Sue's.



As always, Sue's advice is right on. When our daughter was still quite young, the only chair available at the Polynesian one time was a huge, oversized thing. She could barely keep her balance in it. As I recall, we had our younger son ride with her to help take up space. Luckily, a smaller one was turned in our first day and we were able to exchange.

At the BC, I was told that they only have one size and that they have plenty. Still, I would do just as Sue recommended and have a list with you if you don't take the rental on the trip.

Thanks I think I'll just bring the rental one with us. We decided to fly anyway so with the airport it probably is better just to have one with us.

 

[Mame]

Would the Concierge be able to get a taxi for a family? We were thinking about taking a taxi to Universal one day. I was wondering if they could call one for you or do you ask bell services

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Would the Concierge be able to get a taxi for a family? We were thinking about taking a taxi to Universal one day. I was wondering if they could call one for you or do you ask bell services

Usually the Deluxe Resorts have 2 or 3 Taxi's just parked outside the main entrance incase anyone needs one, however if they are not there then bell services usually calls for one and they arrive within 5 minutes.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Usually the Deluxe Resorts have 2 or 3 Taxi's just parked outside the main entrance incase anyone needs one, however if they are not there then bell services usually calls for one and they arrive within 5 minutes.

Also totally depends on the time of day

 

[Kdub]

Would the Concierge be able to get a taxi for a family? We were thinking about taking a taxi to Universal one day. I was wondering if they could call one for you or do you ask bell services

Taxis are usually readily available @ the front entrance of the deluxe resorts.

You may want to consider the need for a shuttle van depending on the size of your travel group. Sometimes vans are sitting in front of the deluxes and sometimes you need to give the bell podium a call so they can request a van for you. It usually will only take 10 minutes or so for a van.

The Mears website estimates the fare to Universal Studios be about $42 one way from the Epcot area resorts and $48 from the Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom resorts.

 

[PrincessLilly]

Where would you prefer to stay? We are still torn between the two places:

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Standard Club Level (Garden View)
Polynesian Resort Standard Club Level (Garden View)

The difference in price is just $55.00 so we are not concerned with that.

Thank you!!

 

[scottmel]

Where would you prefer to stay? We are still torn between the two places:

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Standard Club Level (Garden View)
Polynesian Resort Standard Club Level (Garden View)

The difference in price is just $55.00 so we are not concerned with that.

Thank you!!

Ijust read a nice honest review about GF on this board today. Person just returned home and they werne't too crazy about GF. had a gorgeous theme park view but otherwise rooms were a bit dated on the decor and felt that the place was more geared towards couples than families. the review was nicely written and I ended up scratching it mentally off my list of places i would want to stay. We always stay at the Epcot resorts so I can't offer much else but this review did stick out in my head today....

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Where would you prefer to stay? We are still torn between the two places:

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Standard Club Level (Garden View)
Polynesian Resort Standard Club Level (Garden View)

The difference in price is just $55.00 so we are not concerned with that.

Thank you!!

I would go with the Polynesian because I like their theme just a bit more then the Grand Floridian, however you can not go wrong no matter which one you pick.

 

[kittycat9]

Would the Concierge be able to get a taxi for a family? We were thinking about taking a taxi to Universal one day. I was wondering if they could call one for you or do you ask bell services

Yes. To be specific, I was directly asked this question by IPO, "Can we arrange special transportation (town car, taxi service, rental car) for you during your stay?" So yes, if you would like them to ensure that a taxi or town car is reserved for you downstairs, then put your request and time in the night before or during breakfast. Then when you go downstairs, let the doorman know you have a car waiting and he'll escort you. At which time you may want to tip him for keeping others from hijacking your car With that said, as others have mentioned - there are taxis usually waiting down there. So there should be little need to request a reservation.

 

[Little Lulu]

Hi-
I'm trying to make some decisions on an August trip. We haven't been to AKL CL in 5 years and we really miss it. I know things are set up different now and I was hoping to get some input.
I thought the deluxe rooms were pretty small and now they are just standard rooms. I'm trying to figure out if getting two rooms would be better than getting a one bedroom suite (not DVC)? I thought I read once that they views from the one bedroom suites weren't so great? Does anyone know what floor these suites are on? I am looking forward to seeing what the view looks like from the 4th floor as opposed to the 5th. If we were to go with two standard CL rooms what set up would connecting rooms be? Do they have king with queen bunkbed? Is there a section on the 5th floor for just CL rooms or are they scattered?
I'm torn with just getting a two bedroom DVC at Kindi, but my husband really wants to do CL since it is one of our favorite CL's and we use to stay there every visit till they changed the size of the rooms. It's not a very good value for our family of five to do every trip since we need to get two rooms or a suite. Thought it's worth it to sneak in a short visit for old times sake.
TIA!

I noticed that you were overlooked so I'm answering you. Also I've stayed at the suites at AKL and stayed at AKL CL alot since the inaugural week until around the time they changed it into the DVC CL.
You remember like I used to remember it, that was the when AKL was at it's glory. But, they could not keep it full, so they converted alot of rooms to DVC and there it is. The rooms they chose were the CLs on the 5th and 6th floors, or the deluxe rooms. The ones with the daybeds, the ones that could hold 5 people.
My favorite suite was on the 5 floor and the second bedroom was a queen, bunkbed and a daybed.

Now, when I made my "rounds" to see all my favorite IPO CM/CL CMs a couple of weeks ago, I was told that 4th floor rooms are where regular CL guests are put as well as the non-DVC suites.
The 1 bedrm suites are just as before, they are on the inside of the sunset savannah. No daybed on the 4th floor, but call Sue or Juanita at IPO, and I bet they could get a daybed for you.
And remember, you do have the queen sleeper sofa in the living room.

If you want the 5th, you'll have to stay DVC, and then again, you might not get the DVC CL. I do NOT know, as I am not a DVC expert, just concierge and suites.

HTH!

 

[Kelly in NY]

The CM's who do morning cleaning and turndown wouldn't be the same. I usually tip about $/person in the am and $1/bed in the evening. I sometimes don't get to tip turndown if I've been out all day but then I figure there isn't too much to do for turndown. If we've all been to the pool and taken showers and have lots of dirty towels I tip more for turndown.

thanks this helps alot!

 

[mirlow]

You remember like I used to remember it, that was the when AKL was at it's glory. But, they could not keep it full, so they converted alot of rooms to DVC and there it is.[/QUOTE

Thank you for your reply. Have you stayed AKL CL since they have made these changes? How is the quality of staying CL now that it has been "downgraded" to regular rooms instead of deluxe rooms? We've stayed there 4 different times and we love the resort, and the CM's were all wonderful on all of our stays. I just miss the sights and smells of that resort and thought we were due for another visit since it's been so long. We always got the same bunkbed, queen daybed set up as you and it worked great for our family. I much prefer the bedding to the deluxe rooms to the regular rooms, but that is something I could easily overlook. I just wonder if two regular rooms will feel small for a family of five or if it would be better to get a suite (but pricier than two discounted rooms). I've thought about getting a DVC room on the 5th floor, but part of what we enjoy staying at the AKL is the benefits staying CL.
We probably won't be back to the AKL for a while so trying to figure out the best scenario for our family of five.

 

[mirlow]

Where would you prefer to stay? We are still torn between the two places:

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Standard Club Level (Garden View)
Polynesian Resort Standard Club Level (Garden View)

The difference in price is just $55.00 so we are not concerned with that.

Thank you!!

I've stayed at both and have enjoyed both very much. Both have different feels, but that is what I enjoy about them.
Do you have kids? How many in your family? Have you stayed at either resort? When are you going? I think you can't go wrong with either one.

 

[Little Lulu]

No, I have not stayed there since the change over. I am so old school in my old way of thinking. I am sure after talking to the girls there and seeing the lounge that it is a wonderful CL. But, it is NOT the lounge it used to be, not as we remembered it.
But, things do keep changing and I will more than likely cave in and give it a try. I have to.

Remember that old fanatastic coffee machine? They had to get rid of it! Parts were too expensive. So now they have another, little one.
Dang! That one thing kept me there. I remember going there 3 times the first year and a couple of years later, chatting with Joe Rhode in the lounge and being invited to ride EE before it opened to the public.
Gooood times!