Just back from BC and Poly Concierge

[onthego103]

We were at Beach Club for just one night. The only room request I made was for a full balcony, but we didn't get one. The balconies and water views make me prefer the Yacht Club. Nonetheless, a nice (but short!) stay at the BC.
On Saturday morning, 7/5, we drove over to check into Poly Concierge. We pulled up to the front around 10:00 and we were anxious to get to the Concierge lounge to have a bite before heading to the parks. The valet called over to Concierge and reported back to us that they were busy over there and that we should check in at the GCH. I explained to the valet that we wanted to head over to Tahiti to visit the lounge before the end of breakfast. He explained that they were just trying to save us time, but that he was happy to take us over there if that is what we preferred.
On our way to the 3rd floor lounge, the elevator stopped on the 2nd floor by the Concierge desks, and there were two staffed concierge desks without guests at them. I'm not sure why we were told it was so busy. We proceeded up to the lounge for a bite to eat and were greeted by Ivette, our favorite CM from two previous trips. We had breakfast and then went downstairs to check in and get our passes to head to the parks. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready by the time we finished checking in around 11:30.
We were in Room 3025 (which I gather was probably vacated that morning by a fellow DISer according to a previous post!) We were initially concerned about possible noise being only two doors down from the lounge, but we did not find that to be any problem. It was a great room - absolutely no smell, convenient location, and a beautiful lagoon view.
Our experience with breakfast in the lounge was consistently good. I think one morning we might have waited a minute for a table to free up. The evening (5-7 PM) offerings were extremely crowded. Typically there were 25 or more people lined up by 5:00. On one night we returned to our room at 9:30 only to find that there wasn't a single dessert left - not even a cookie.
My personal feeling is that Tahiti holds too many people to ideally accomodate Concierge. That being said, we still had a wonderful time. I do not wish that we had stayed elsewhere or that we hadn't stayed Concierge this trip. I have stayed at AKL Concierge and YC Concierge before so I do have some basis for comparison. I think th

 

[Threehearts]

Hi onthego103-

Glad to hear that your Poly stay was overall a pleasant one. We are still undecided about which resort to stay at for late August. Out of the 3 Conc. experiences, which do you like the most(using the Tahiti bldg. for the Poly)? Thanks. Susan

 

[>>^..^<<]

Wow ~ I got all excited when I saw the title of this post ~ I am anxious for recent BC reports but alas ~ you only had one short day there!

Questions on your short day.

Did you have a key card already to access the 5th floor or did someone have to escort you up?

Did you get a chance to sample any of the food/beverage offerings?

How was your room? (besides the lack of balcony) Do you remember the room #?

In general how was your interaction with the concierge staff?

Thanx for any extra info you can provide, I am happy you had a nice stay at Poly - which has taken a bashing lately.

>>^..^<<

 

[onthego103]

My keyboard locked up before I could finish my original post. I was starting to type that I thought the CMs were working extremely hard to make the best of a less than ideal situation. Our interactions with CMs were all positive.
In terms of Tahiti vs. Hawaii - We definitely like the size and convenience of location of Hawaii better. However, Tahiti has advantages, too - larger rooms, convenience to Transportation and Ticket Center, and convenience to parking if you have a car. One slight disadvantage to Tahiti is that it does not offer a good view of the Electrical Water Pageant.
Overall, we had an excellent time. I am still happy we stayed here rather than somewhere else.

 

[onthego103]

Threehearts~
How long are you going for in August? We went for eight days and seven nights with the Fairytale package. For that long, I would still pick Poly Concierge even at Tahiti. If you are only going for 3-4 days, I might consider either AKL Concierge or YC Concierge. Do you still spend most of your time at MK? How important is the refrigerator in the room? How about the water bottles and soda that is out? We really enjoy both of these features at Poly. We also really enjoyed watching the MK fireworks from our balcony. Good luck with your decision. ~Nancy

 

[onthego103]

>>^..^<< - We didn't stay concierge at BC, so I'm afraid I'm not much help. We were on the fourth floor and our room was nice. I have stayed YC Concierge before, and someone escorted us up when we arrived; we did not have a key to use in the elevator in advance. Sorry I can't be more help.

 

[LvsTnk]

It is so funny how different 2 reports can be. Another thread said they never ran out of anything. We were all there at the same time and I know they ran out of things when we were there. I guess it is all in the timing. It didn't matter that much to me, but I was beginning to think I was loosing my mind. LOL

Glad to here you had a good stay as did we but I can't wait to be back in Hawaii next year!!

 

[tinkfan]

Onthego-
We were the ones that vacated 3025. We really loved that room and thought the maid did a great job as well. Isn't Ivette wonderful. She really went above and beyond and was always so pleasant. She even special ordered some Rice Krispies for my daughter because is was the only cereal she would eat. When they hadn't arrived by breakfast the next day we later found them waiting in our room when we returned from the park.
Glad you enjoyed your stay!

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi onthego ~ sorry I misunderstood the title of your post and assumed concierge at both hotels

Glad you had a nice stay at the Poly and enjoyed your quickie at BC.

>>^..^<<

 

[onthego103]

tinkfan~
What time did you check out? We were so surprised it was ready so early. We loved the room and were thoroughly pleased with housekeeping.
As to Ivette, we think she is the best! I told her I was going to write a letter to her boss to say how much she has added to our Poly Concierge stays. She goes to such lengths to make sure everyone is happy. I drink Diet Coke every morning for breakfast (I know - what a horrible habit!) and she always greeted me with a glass full of ice in Hawaii. She did it the first morning in Tahiti, but I insisted on getting my own ice after the first morning because I could see how busy she was! She also knows what day people are leaving and she gave us a large plastic bag filled with my kids' favorite cookies before we left.

LvsTnk~Our experience was the same as yours. I know they totally ran out of desserts one night, and I think it might have been two nights. Like you, this wasn't a big deal to us - just a change from our experiences in Hawaii.

 

[tinkfan]

onthego- We left around 8:15, we had a 15hr drive home (
Could you please give me the information on who to write on Ivette's behalf. I would love to pass along our praises as well.
Thanks.

 

[onthego103]

I'm sure having to leave early for a long ride home was hard. Hopefully it helps a little to hear that a fellow DISer benefited from your early departure!
Ivette said her boss's name is John Garcia. After telling her that I wanted to write a letter, she shared that she had recently received a special pin from a Vice President in response to a complimentary letter sent to him by an appreciative guest. She was very honored. Apparently she was also written up in an employee newsletter. She said it was her first time in her 11 years there to receive such special recognition. Ivette totally fulfills my image of what a Disney employee should be.

 

[rlt431]

I am staying Poly concierge (first time concierge) and now I am really looking forward to the trip. I hope we have the opportunity to meet Ivette. She sounds wonderful and should get the recognition.

Can anyone tell me how to change my countdown. This was from Sept. 2002.

 

[Threehearts]

Nancy,

We are going for 4 nights and 5 days and are torn about which resort. I am considering CR and YC(non-conc.) as well as Poly Conc.. We still do depend on MK for most of our activities as the thrill rides of MGM are not of great interest to my 6 and 7 yr. olds yet. I think that YC might be good as we are having 2 non-park days for the first time in the heat of Aug.. My kids love AK but it's a trek without a car to MK. We no longer use a car in WDW since we had most of our belongings stolen in the MK parking lot several yrs. ago. What made that experience worse was the comment from WDW police that "it happens all the time." SO- to make a short story longer, we are getting late in the game for ressies and any ideas you may have would be great. Thanks. Susan

-By the way- Did you get my PM?

 

[onthego103]

Susan,
I think I would still do Poly Concierge with the ages of your kids, unless you just feel ready for a change. As much fun as SAB is, I don't think on your three park days you would find it very convenient if you spend most of your time at MK without a car. I'm guessing your kids would far prefer the Poly pool to the Contemporary pool. The other option would be to rent a car if you can get a good deal and just not leave anything in the car. We have loved the convenience of having a car. If you had a car, I would even consider doing AKL with two resort days. We all loved it there. I'm sure my input is only confusing you more! ~Nancy
P.S. Just read and responded to your PM. I didn't know I had a PM.

 

[Threehearts]

Nancy,
What about getting a car and staying at YC? I seem to remember that it was time consuming to park the car at MK, wait for the tram etc.. Is having a car always easier that taking the Disney transportation? Sorry for all the questions but my weak point at WDW is navigating with a car. Threehearts

 

[Uncle Scar]

Thanks for your report on the Poly!!

We'll be there in 9 days, so appreciate all the information we can get.

We know not to have the same expectations as being in Hawaii, but it's good to hear they are doing their best and it's still worth it.

 

[onthego103]

Susan~
We really find that having a car greatly simplifies transportation at WDW. You don't even have to learn your way around. As soon as you leave the hotel parking lot, there are signs for everything. We found the trams from lots to the front of parks to be extremely efficient. The boats at YC, while fun, are extremely slow. To hop in the car and go to MGM only takes a couple minutes. In terms of YC vs. AKL, I think it is a matter of whether your kids would get more of a thrill out of SAB or having zebras and giraffes right off your balcony. My kids have really enjoyed both. The potential crowds at SAB would cause me some concern. We actually found the Poly pool to be extremely crowded this trip. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Uncle Scar~
I hope you have a great trip. I think you have to be prepared for crowds at this time of year, and if you are able to accept that, you should still have a great time. Let us know how your trip goes! Also, depending on who you are travelling with, keep the enights in mind. We found them to be a great way to enjoy MK without unbearable crowds.