T_O
Usagi-chan!
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2016
- Messages
- 187
Hi All,
I am currently staying at the Poly with my husband and two preschool age kids. This is the first time any of us have visited WDW. We have been at the Poly since Thursday. Here are my pros and cons, and random observations from our time so far.
Pros:
-Meet and Greets: These have been the highlight of our trip for my kids. The first thing they got to do was meet Mickey. Next day my daughter saw Cinderella and Aurora at Princess Fairytale Hall. This morning it was Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto & Goofy at Chef Mickey's. Kudos to the cast members who are behind the "mask," especially the Princesses.
-Hotel Theme/Activities: They love the splash area at the Poly! Even my daughter who is terrified of getting water in her face had a blast. We spent almost 2 hours there. Gift shops galore! Pineapple Lanai is nice. So was the "Pantry" shop, which has everything you can imagine (diapers, medicines, milk, water, etc.) This hotel really has a lovely atmosphere.
-Pressed Coin Machines: This is so much fun to my little ones, and make really great inexpensive souvenirs if you don't want to spend a ton at the gift shops.
-Disney Springs: I really loved this whole area. The ambiance is great, there are shops for every taste, and tons of dining options. My kids had more fun at Springs than any of the major parks. So did I, quite honestly.
-Beds: Really comfy beds at the Poly. Or maybe I'm just so exhausted at the end of the day that anything soft feels great, lol.
-FastPasses: Saved the trip. Would NEVER venture into the parks without them. I found out pretty quickly that my tolerance for standing in line is zero. I'm mostly happy with my choices, even though some of them went against the online recommendations.
-Location: Also saved our trip. Had we chosen a resort any further away, the commute would have been too much for my little ones. Poly is in an outstanding spot, and I don't at all regret choosing it.
-Early Mornings: No, not the event. We wake up around 5:30ish each morning, and like to take our time getting ready. (It's our vacation, after all.) So we usually make it out the door by 8am. The lines for most Fantasyland and Tomorrowland rides were really reasonable all morning, and stayed that way until around 11am. We were not interested in any of the "major" rides like Space Mnt, Splash Mnt, or 7DMT, so I didn't pay much attention to the lines for those rides. Getting out early is a necessity if you hate lines.
Public Restrooms: Very clean, especially considering the number of people that use them. Kids' height sinks are a nice touch. Paper towels and not just air dryers! Wish they would put mirrors over the sinks, but I can understand why they do not.
Cons:
-Hotel Cleanliness: I'm pretty disappointed with the cleanliness of our hotel room. There were hairs in the shower, sink and toilet from the previous guests. The drains seemed clogged in the sinks and in the tub (we're staying in a studio villa.) The tub will not drain on it's own, so I had to unscrew the drain plug to allow more water through. Sure enough, there is gunk blocking part of the drain. Majorly grossed out. The brushed nickel faucets and towel racks are all dirty and dusty. The light in the "spa" shower is dirty. The tile in both bathrooms has splatter spots on them. The balcony has cobwebs in several areas. The murphy bed that folds up has some coins, hairs and small bits of trash stuck in the gap under the bed. (I found that out after my daughter dropped one of her pressed coins down there.) The kitchenette smelled like syrup, I'm guessing from the previous guests. The elevator in our building is awful. Paneling is pulling off the wall and has holes in it. The floor is dirty. The whole thing looks old. On the bright side, the in-room carpets seemed surprisingly clean for a hotel, and the mattresses and linens all seemed quite clean.
-Restaurant Atmosphere and Cleanliness: We have tried to eat out of our room to save money, but there are a few spots we've tried out. First was Casey's Corner. It was difficult to find a table because there was a thunderstorm moving into the area, but once we did it was dirty. And so were all the tables around us. The floors were covered in food, too. Atmosphere was dreadful with everyone clustered so close together. Several tables of people with no food just sitting inside to get out of the rain, while plenty of actual customers were wandering around looking for a place to eat. Food was good to my hungry family, so no complaints there. The next day we went to Captain Cooks at our hotel. Long wait in line during an off-peak hour, drink areas were dirty, food was not good. This morning we tried Chef Mickey's. They sent us back to the wait area because we were about 10 minutes early for our reservations. The wait room was old, with torn vinyl on the chairs. The windows overlooking the pool area and lake were pretty dirty, and had huge scratches on them, like someone had keyed them. Inside, we were lucky enough to get a booth seat near the buffet line. I was surprised by how small the restaurant seemed, and how outdated the decor felt. Our table was nice and clean, but the tables nearby were absolutely filthy. I don't blame the castmembers, who were cleaning diligently, but the family that was eating there. They had left food and drinks scattered under and around their table. I actually liked most of the food I got, but I stuck to my own tastes. The fruit was pretty sad, with the exception of the strawberries. Everything was kept well stocked. The character interactions were fun for the kids, but I preferred the Meet and Greets in the parks which felt a bit more personal. Minnie and Pluto both came back to our table because my daughter had been in line and missed the first time around. Character meals are a good way to fit lots of meets into a short period, I guess.
-Castmembers: Let me start off by saying this - I did encounter some great castmembers during these last few days. But they seemed to be the exception more than the rule. By and large, the castmembers looked miserable, never said hello, and in a couple of instances were actually rude. I'm a little disappointed given Disney's reputation for "world-class" customer service.
And that's it for now. The heat is pretty awful, but that's just Florida and the time of year, so I can't really call it a con. All in all, we've enjoyed our time here, but I doubt we'll be coming back. I'm glad that we got a chance to experience it once!
I am currently staying at the Poly with my husband and two preschool age kids. This is the first time any of us have visited WDW. We have been at the Poly since Thursday. Here are my pros and cons, and random observations from our time so far.
Pros:
-Meet and Greets: These have been the highlight of our trip for my kids. The first thing they got to do was meet Mickey. Next day my daughter saw Cinderella and Aurora at Princess Fairytale Hall. This morning it was Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto & Goofy at Chef Mickey's. Kudos to the cast members who are behind the "mask," especially the Princesses.
-Hotel Theme/Activities: They love the splash area at the Poly! Even my daughter who is terrified of getting water in her face had a blast. We spent almost 2 hours there. Gift shops galore! Pineapple Lanai is nice. So was the "Pantry" shop, which has everything you can imagine (diapers, medicines, milk, water, etc.) This hotel really has a lovely atmosphere.
-Pressed Coin Machines: This is so much fun to my little ones, and make really great inexpensive souvenirs if you don't want to spend a ton at the gift shops.
-Disney Springs: I really loved this whole area. The ambiance is great, there are shops for every taste, and tons of dining options. My kids had more fun at Springs than any of the major parks. So did I, quite honestly.
-Beds: Really comfy beds at the Poly. Or maybe I'm just so exhausted at the end of the day that anything soft feels great, lol.
-FastPasses: Saved the trip. Would NEVER venture into the parks without them. I found out pretty quickly that my tolerance for standing in line is zero. I'm mostly happy with my choices, even though some of them went against the online recommendations.
-Location: Also saved our trip. Had we chosen a resort any further away, the commute would have been too much for my little ones. Poly is in an outstanding spot, and I don't at all regret choosing it.
-Early Mornings: No, not the event. We wake up around 5:30ish each morning, and like to take our time getting ready. (It's our vacation, after all.) So we usually make it out the door by 8am. The lines for most Fantasyland and Tomorrowland rides were really reasonable all morning, and stayed that way until around 11am. We were not interested in any of the "major" rides like Space Mnt, Splash Mnt, or 7DMT, so I didn't pay much attention to the lines for those rides. Getting out early is a necessity if you hate lines.
Public Restrooms: Very clean, especially considering the number of people that use them. Kids' height sinks are a nice touch. Paper towels and not just air dryers! Wish they would put mirrors over the sinks, but I can understand why they do not.
Cons:
-Hotel Cleanliness: I'm pretty disappointed with the cleanliness of our hotel room. There were hairs in the shower, sink and toilet from the previous guests. The drains seemed clogged in the sinks and in the tub (we're staying in a studio villa.) The tub will not drain on it's own, so I had to unscrew the drain plug to allow more water through. Sure enough, there is gunk blocking part of the drain. Majorly grossed out. The brushed nickel faucets and towel racks are all dirty and dusty. The light in the "spa" shower is dirty. The tile in both bathrooms has splatter spots on them. The balcony has cobwebs in several areas. The murphy bed that folds up has some coins, hairs and small bits of trash stuck in the gap under the bed. (I found that out after my daughter dropped one of her pressed coins down there.) The kitchenette smelled like syrup, I'm guessing from the previous guests. The elevator in our building is awful. Paneling is pulling off the wall and has holes in it. The floor is dirty. The whole thing looks old. On the bright side, the in-room carpets seemed surprisingly clean for a hotel, and the mattresses and linens all seemed quite clean.
-Restaurant Atmosphere and Cleanliness: We have tried to eat out of our room to save money, but there are a few spots we've tried out. First was Casey's Corner. It was difficult to find a table because there was a thunderstorm moving into the area, but once we did it was dirty. And so were all the tables around us. The floors were covered in food, too. Atmosphere was dreadful with everyone clustered so close together. Several tables of people with no food just sitting inside to get out of the rain, while plenty of actual customers were wandering around looking for a place to eat. Food was good to my hungry family, so no complaints there. The next day we went to Captain Cooks at our hotel. Long wait in line during an off-peak hour, drink areas were dirty, food was not good. This morning we tried Chef Mickey's. They sent us back to the wait area because we were about 10 minutes early for our reservations. The wait room was old, with torn vinyl on the chairs. The windows overlooking the pool area and lake were pretty dirty, and had huge scratches on them, like someone had keyed them. Inside, we were lucky enough to get a booth seat near the buffet line. I was surprised by how small the restaurant seemed, and how outdated the decor felt. Our table was nice and clean, but the tables nearby were absolutely filthy. I don't blame the castmembers, who were cleaning diligently, but the family that was eating there. They had left food and drinks scattered under and around their table. I actually liked most of the food I got, but I stuck to my own tastes. The fruit was pretty sad, with the exception of the strawberries. Everything was kept well stocked. The character interactions were fun for the kids, but I preferred the Meet and Greets in the parks which felt a bit more personal. Minnie and Pluto both came back to our table because my daughter had been in line and missed the first time around. Character meals are a good way to fit lots of meets into a short period, I guess.
-Castmembers: Let me start off by saying this - I did encounter some great castmembers during these last few days. But they seemed to be the exception more than the rule. By and large, the castmembers looked miserable, never said hello, and in a couple of instances were actually rude. I'm a little disappointed given Disney's reputation for "world-class" customer service.
And that's it for now. The heat is pretty awful, but that's just Florida and the time of year, so I can't really call it a con. All in all, we've enjoyed our time here, but I doubt we'll be coming back. I'm glad that we got a chance to experience it once!
. Customer service doesn't exist in NJ to my honest opinion..
Dropping in to remind everyone to please follow the DIS guidelines when posting. "Here Now/Just Back" posts are welcomed on TPAS to reflect real-time experiences and the OPs are entitled to their opinions/assessments of their personal experiences.
