FREAKING Out over Poly Concierge Reviews!! What to Do?

[devine5829]

I am new to this board. I am really upset about the reviews since Poly Concierge has been moved to Tahiti. I am not a frequent Disney traveler (not yet anyway). This is our first trip since I was a child. I would be so mad to if I arrived and my room smelled and CM's were rude etc...

So, I want to take a proactive approach and need your help.

I am going 1st week in September (Arrive the day before Labor Day with Hubby and two girls (5&7).

1. Should I change my reso to just a regular Poly room. I have rather high standards considering what we are paying. I don't think my expectations are unrealistic (In other words, expecting a clean smelling nice room, having enough food etc...).

2. Should we change to another monorail concierge like GF? Do you think we would be happier? I don't want to pay more, but I really don't want to have a bad experience.

3. What types of things can be done if we keep our current reservation and arrive to a situation we are not happy with? Will they move us to another room? Would they move us to another resort?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[ducklite]

I stayed at the Polynesian last summer, and the CM's were WONDERFUL. No one was in the least rude, they were gracious and friendly and ever so accomodating.

Also the room didn't smell at all. not one iota.

Other than the AKL, the Polynesian is now my favorite WDW Resort.

The GF doesn't even make teh top five, I was so disappointed the firs ttime we stayed there that we left after one night--completely srevice related. We did have a second stay, but even then the service wasn't so hot.

Anne

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi there...

I was at AKL Concierge last summer from August 21st - Sep 1st... the first week it was incredible quiet and wonderful but on the last weekend (Labour Day) it was suddenly packed - no tables in the morning in the lounge - people everywhere, pool crowded, parks crowded, restaurants crowded... - you have to be prepared for that being that is is LD weekend - but after that long weekend it should get much better.

Unfortunately - those are your first couple of days - it is going to be busy.

Having said all that - your trip is still over 2 months away and I would hope the Poly concierge problems are all ironed out by then

I would suggest watching for more trip reports over the next couple of weeks and see how they are before you make any big decisions.

Good Luck!

>>^..^<<

 

[dg39]

While I never stayed at he poly, this is the first time I heard negative things about it. We are a CR family (although this time, we'll be at the GF), & I heard alot of negative things about the CR, but we just love it. You'll get alot of diff. opinions here, but that's just what they are opinions. I'm sure if you do a search about the poly, you'll feel much better about your future stay.....

 

[Winka]

I'm not sure but it seems that some of the trouble was due to the concierge being located in Tahiti as opposed to Hawaii? Will concierge be located in Hawaii by the time your Sept. trip rolls around?

Hope all goes well and please don't stress out too much.

 

[DisneyChick02]

First off, this is NOT meant to offend anyone at all b/c these boards are a great source of information and tips, and a good place to let out frustrations and praises of WDW.

THAT BEING SAID....

to the OP, relax. Please. Don't let one, two, or several not-so-hot reviews stress you and make you rethink your plans (this coming from someone who just changed their reservation 4 times between 3 hotels at Universal in the past day ). More often than not people are so much more willing to complain and vent when things are bad and never say when things are good, so for every bad Poly or GF or Y&B or <insert hotel here> review you see, there are probably 10-50 other unwritten good reviews too.

You could have a bad room anyplace. If you get a room that is unsatisfactory, ask for one that meets your requests as best as possible. If you find that Poly is not your thing, if there are other rooms availalbe on property and they can honor your rate, you can go wherever there is availability. CMs try their best to help...just be reasonable and nice, and they will work with you. Have a great stay!!!!

 

[hookedup]

I would try not to stress out too much - I know that when I first starting using these boards I had already planned a trip to the GF - I read some negative stuff and then was really concerned that I had made a bad decision.

Others here were great and reassured me that although it is easy to get influenced by the negative experiences that others have but to keep it all in perspective.
Over time I have read negative things about EVERY resort- too stinky, too dark, too stuffy, too overrated, bad service, mold & mildew, boring theming, ugly building, bad color scheme, etc.

If you REALLY are looking forward to a stay at the Polynesian then I would encourage you to stick to your guns - had I not chosen to stay at GF after I read bad things I would have never had the WONDERFUL experience that I had last summer. So I still read bad things about GF but that hasn't stopped me from planning another trip there this summer again!

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Originally posted by DisneyChick02

More often than not people are so much more willing to complain and vent when things are bad and never say when things are good, so for every bad Poly or GF or Y&B or <insert hotel here> review you see, there are probably 10-50 other unwritten good reviews too.

That is so true, we've stayed 3 times at the Poly concierge, and I have not one complaint. Even my DH who is pretty picky, and has the most amazing sense of smell, did not have any problems
Not once did he mention a mildew, mold smell! And if you knew him you would know that says alot

Relax and enjoy!

Laura

 

[PartyOf5]

I, too, was booked in the Poly Concierge for August. I've stayed in the Poly Concierge in the past when it was in the Hawaii building and absolutely loved it. However, I was concerned about reading the negative reports on this and other boards so I send an email off to the Poly Concierge staff expressing my concerns. My oldest has severe allergies and asthma and I don't think a moldy situation would benefit him. I asked if they could guarantee me a room on the 3rd floor (away from smoking rooms on the 2nd as well as the mildew on the 1st). They basically acknowledged they were having problems in some of the rooms but at the same time could not guarantee me a room on the 3rd floor.

That's when I opted out...I switched my ressies to the Grand Floridian so that we can try something new. I was afraid of having a bad experience at the Poly which would ruin my wonderful memories I have of this beautiful resort. I'll certainly return to the Poly Concierge - but only when it's back in the Hawaii building.

I would suggest waiting a couple weeks to read more trip experiences and then go with your gut feeling. If you really want to stay at the Polynesian, there are a few newly refurbished buildings, Samoa being the most recent.

 

[devine5829]

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, I do think the problems lie in the fact that they moved concierge to Tahiti. It will not be back in Hawai until the end of Sept/Oct. We will read the boards more too throughout the month of July/Aug to hear what peopel have to say.

I e-mailed the Poly planning office with my concerns and had a message on my machine from the concierge manager to call him with questions/concerns. He says he reads the boards and knows of the complaints. I will let you know what he says after I speak with him.

Still willing to hear more thoughts on this.

Thanks!

 

[floridafam]

You do have a right to be concerned.You have options.

If you know it is going to bug you and you are not 100% positive you want to stay there then you can always switch to something else.

You could have a bad experience somewhere else, too.

You can keep your reservation and could end up having a wonderful time.

Ultimately, you'll do what's best for you. Maybe it's a sign you should try something else. Who knows.

Let us know what you decide to do.

I have wanted to stay at the Poly since I was little but every time we get close to making a reservation the mold issue just keeps coming up in my mind.

Chanes are, you'll encounter rude people no matter what concierge level you stay at. We did at WL. You may also check in somewhere and witness the most delightful people you have ever seen.

 

[LtlTee]

We just got back from a 5 night stay at Polynesian concierge. This is not to discount anyone else's experience, but rather this is just an account of our experience.
We had a wonderful time. Our room was on the third floor and altho one morning my husband noticed some mildew on the ceiling right above the tub, there was no odor in the room. I left a note for housekeeping and the ceiling was cleaned. My son suffers from allergies and asthma, and he was not bothered in the least.
The concierge area was busy, but when we were there it was never too crowded. (Perhaps we just went at an off time?) There was always plenty of food, and even saw the concierge staff remove half full warmers during clean-up and preparation for dessert. We never sat in the lounge area itself because it was crowded -- we either used the 2 rooms that they had set up for concierge guests or sat on our balcony. Again, this is not to dispute with anyone else's experience -- this is just what it was like for us.
Check in on the second floor was very easy and efficient and the concierge staff was always helpful. In fact, I was on my way out one time and wanted to arrange for a tee time. The 2 conciege CMs were busy with other guests, and a supervisor (in a suit and tie) saw me waiting. He went behind the desk and made my tee time for me.
The Polnesian is our favorite resort, and our experinece consistently has been that if there is some sort of problem, they will do everything that they can to rectify it.
Now, having said all that , I did find the Tahiti longhouse a bit far out. With 3 tired kids coming off the monorail at the end of the night it was a bit of a hike. Undoubtedly, the location of the Hawaii building is a better one. Tahiti is very close to the TTC, so most of the time we would just go that way, but there were a couple of times that I wanted to go through the Great Ceremonial House on the way in, and it is a far walk.

 

[searlproudbottom]

I am going to break ranks with this one. I think everyone should protest the Poly Concierge Staff and Stay away choosing other resorts for your Stay. Oct. 10 though the 19th would be a good time to do this. (-:

Searl

 

[HM]

I stayed in Tahiti a couple summers ago. Although we had no smell problems, there was a humidity problem in our room. To overcome it we had to keep the air conditioner set on a colder level than I would have liked. Although it is a beautiful resort, I found the decor in the Poly rooms to be a bit depressing as well. It was just not the paradise I had planned on.

If I were you, I'd go to the Grand Floridian. I just stayed there in early June and loved the rooms there (the decor was much nicer,imo) and the service from everyone was wonderful.

Good luck with your decision. -HM

 

[Mike_in_FL]

Searl,
I agree with you, except that everybody should also stay away in the first week of August. My family and I will bravely check the place out thoroughly and report back
Mike

PS No offence intended to those who, like Partyof5, have decided to make a switch because they feel that is best for them. I hope everybody has a great time, wherever they go!

 

[devine5829]

Mike_In_Fl;

Are you staying concierge?

Someone else did actually bring up part of my concern. The fact that the Poly (tahiti) looks somewhat out dated and old. How would anyone else characterize the hotel itself?

 

[DisneyMim]

I just talked to friends who stayed Ploy concierge the first weel it moved to Tahiti. They have stayed in Hawaii before so they had something to compare. They had a wonderful time. They did say that they prefer Hawaii, but this was nice too. The rooms are larger, 2 sinks instead of 1. The only thing they said was the eating area wasn't as nice because you don't have the large windows looking out over MK, but they had a LV room and said that they thought it was actually better than the Hawaii LV view. We're going in August and I don't really have any concerns. We travel a lot and realize that renovations have to be made, sometimes during our planned trips. If you can postpone your trip until Hawaii is done, or move to another resort, that is an option if you are really worried about the Poly. It seems if you read these boards enough someone has something negative to say about every resort, park, restaurant, etc. Every experience is different, and sometimes from week to week. In the end you have to do what you feel is right for YOU.

ENJOY!!!

 

[Mike_in_FL]

devine5829,
Yes, we are staying concierge. We go every year around the same time to celebrate our anniversary. I will freely admit to being disappointed when I first heard that Hawaii was out of commission - we love that lounge! I have since spoken to several CMs, and they did acknowledge to me that there was a period of adjustment for all of them at the beginning. They all seem to feel that they have settled down now. The one thing that is still concerning me is that Tahiti is a bigger building, so it will be more crowded than we are used to. We still expect to have a great time!

I have not stayed in Tahiti, but I am one who is not bothered by the age of the Poly. The big attraction for me is the atmosphere of the place, the landscaping, it's wonderful location, etc. The rooms have never seemed depressing to us. My kids absolutely love the volcano pool and we all enjoy the great view of the EWP and the fireworks.

Hope this helps!
Mike