Just back from Poly and Concierge experience

[LinnieMinnie2]

As stated from the post above, paying over $400 a night and having so many past postivie experiences it was a huge dissappointment. My DH and I are now preparing our letter to the Poly to address the issues that occurred. We want to make sure that it's not a bash letter but one that appropriately addresses the issues that occurred and ask why one would pay that price in the future for so little amenties as in the past.

I will post my results from the Poly if any are given.

Thanks for everyone's support.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I honestly don't think concierge is worth the extra money. There is so much to eat at WDW we hardly use the food offerings, and I actually enjoy making the reservations myself for some reason. It feels really pampering for a special event or something (I went for AKL cl for my birthday once) just because you feel kind of special w/ the certain key/ floor and everything, and I personally love turn-down service, but for the extra money you could eat every night at a top notch GF restaurant or something. I rarely go for concierge for more than a few nights at a time on special occasions.

 

[tiffsix]

We stayed conc at the Poly last Sept. Upset I spent the money on it. Totally not worth it and not all it's cracked up to be. Just MHO.

 

[epcotfan]

I honestly don't think concierge is worth the extra money. There is so much to eat at WDW we hardly use the food offerings, and I actually enjoy making the reservations myself for some reason. It feels really pampering for a special event or something (I went for AKL cl for my birthday once) just because you feel kind of special w/ the certain key/ floor and everything, and I personally love turn-down service, but for the extra money you could eat every night at a top notch GF restaurant or something. I rarely go for concierge for more than a few nights at a time on special occasions.

I heartily agree with you. I don't think DISNEY concierge is as cracked up to be as it used to. Not as much value/service for a greater amount of money. I prefer to stock my fridge with my own goodies. It is a fraction of the cost and I can snack at any time of day. If I wanted to spend an extra $100+ a day I'd order room service. If I have to tell concierge what PS I want, I may as well just get on the phone myself and arrange them.

 

[YCFAN]

Sammie: Just to let you know.....we DID check in with the bell captain outside (I've been a concierge guest many times at Poly and other resorts) and he made a call and then pointed to the sliding doors and said "walk all the way through there and out the other side to the Hawaii building". If I had been a first time guest I would not have had any clue as to what to do. I was VERY disappointed at the service I received and it was not busy at all at the time.

 

[tinknsnow]

This thread is a bummer. I ijust booked 8 nights Poly Concierge (garden) for Jan 2006.

We have been quite loyal to the WL since our first annual trip in January 2002. The first trip, we stayed std view and got great service, perfect trip. Second trip, we upgraded upon check-in to WLC and were very thrilled by the excellent service and personal attention. The special touches combined with the food offerings (we ate all but lunches there) made us loyal WLC guests two more trips...

However, this past trip (2/6-2/13) was a total bummer. Concierge CMs were not friendly, not helpful, barely even polite (the exception was Marco). We seriously missed our favorite Cm Glen, who we learned had been promoted to the Contemporary 14th floor (maybe I should have been less gushy when I sent those rec letters LOL). Both my daughter and I celebrated our birthdays while there. Not a mention. No balloons, nothing. Even though my DD was wearing her "Today is my birthday" button at 8AM, with three CMs at the desk, she had to say, "Guess what! I'm four today!" before anyone acknowledged her special day. Heck, even Aladdin noticed the pin from the float in "Share A Dream Come True" so I can't see why the CMs would have been so lame.

There were several times when there was no water, no glasses, no plates, etc and someone from another family would be complaining.

We had just completed a 3-night Disney Wonder cruise where we stayed Concierge (Cat 3 room) and we were SO pampered and well-treated by everyone (not to mention the luxurious digs-- that bed was fantastic!) that it was particularly evident that WLC was not up to snuff compared to our past experiences anyway.

So, we decided to try the Poly next year. I guess we'll try to keep expectations low... but it is a shame that Disney isn't consistent.

 

[Sammie]

Sammie: Just to let you know.....we DID check in with the bell captain outside (I've been a concierge guest many times at Poly and other resorts) and he made a call and then pointed to the sliding doors and said "walk all the way through there and out the other side to the Hawaii building". If I had been a first time guest I would not have had any clue as to what to do. I was VERY disappointed at the service I received and it was not busy at all at the time.

Definitely not acceptable. He should have gotten a cart right then to take you to the Hawaii building. I hope you let a manager know about this and the name of the person who you were talking to.

 

[TheIncredibles]

I might respond by saying, "stay tuned...";

We'll be there shortly - we have always been dazzled, so I'll be surprised if changes are so dramatic, but as I said before, it was 11 months ago.

 

[momshark]

I've been debating whether to upgrade to concierge at the Poly. Thank you for helping me with that decision. I do have a sit down PS booked every day, so I would rather spend the $100 there each day. I don't think we would be around the resort enough to enjoy all of the concierge amenities anyway.
I'm still looking sooo forward to staying at the Poly for the first time.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

However, this past trip (2/6-2/13) was a total bummer. Concierge CMs were not friendly, not helpful, barely even polite (the exception was Marco). We seriously missed our favorite Cm Glen, who we learned had been promoted to the Contemporary 14th floor (maybe I should have been less gushy when I sent those rec letters LOL). Both my daughter and I celebrated our birthdays while there. Not a mention. No balloons, nothing. Even though my DD was wearing her "Today is my birthday" button at 8AM, with three CMs at the desk, she had to say, "Guess what! I'm four today!" before anyone acknowledged her special day. Heck, even Aladdin noticed the pin from the float in "Share A Dream Come True" so I can't see why the CMs would have been so lame.
We had just completed a 3-night Disney Wonder cruise where we stayed Concierge (Cat 3 room) and we were SO pampered and well-treated by everyone (not to mention the luxurious digs-- that bed was fantastic!) that it was particularly evident that WLC was not up to snuff compared to our past experiences anyway.
QUOTE]
Oh no! I have stayed in WL concierge and I thought the CMs were of the nicest I've ever experience. It was incredible. It was our first concierge experience at Disney and everyone was so nice! This was back in Dec 2002 though. I was always hoping to go back and see those nice CMs.

Good to hear about the cruise. I am planning on combining a poly stay w/ our next cruise in Dec 2006 (the magic) so my son can play in that volcano pool. I'm planning on regular lagoon view.

 

[nwdisgal]

Oh, I am sorry to hear about that. I always enjoy reading the Poly Concierge posts, especially when they were serving Krispy Kreme (I think?) donuts - made my mouth water reading about it. Maybe they switched chefs too, or the chef that does the carvings was off during that time? It's great when you have a chef that is talented, gifted with vegetable and fruit carvings, but that is a specialized skill and not all chefs will take the time (or have the talent) to do that, especially when they are understaffed and trying to meet the masses.

 

[TwingleMum]

We are planning our second Poly LVC stay in May, I hope WDW reads these BB and take appropriate action.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I haven't read any mousekeeping/ mold reports as much as there used to be. There was a rash of those awhile back. It seems like that has gotten better.

 

[Peter Pirate]

No offense but if you've been there ten times with no ill will don't you think one bad trip may just be the odds catching up to you?

It is totally legitimate to post a bad report. Everyone needs to know of things that each of us has gone through to see if, in fact, a pattern could be emerging. But to have one bad experience and hail the resort giving 'lower quality' service seems a bit melodramatic, IMO.

Also, I don't think you'll catch much sympathy with the "we didn't get anything for free for my son's birthday" bit. It's great that you have in the past but to expect it shows just how high the bar has been set for Disney Resorts.

 

[stemikger]

I think that's really terrible for the money you spend for this resort and for this service. Sorry you had a bad trip.

It sounds like I had better service at Pop Century which is a value.

I would be really upset if I had to wait an hour to check in. My last stay at Pop was a mere 10 minutes at the most.

 

[DisneyFans4]

Sorry to hear about your recent trip but I know the feeling very well. During our last stay at the Poly we had a very bad experience and I haven't gone back. Boy did guest services hear from me and they even called me to discuss it and all I got was $100 Disney dollars. Even when I spoke to management at the Poly nothing was done to apologize.
The best thing about Poly concierge were the food offerings which to me made that extra $$$ well worth it. My DH loved the oatmeal and had it every morning and now your saying they don't even have it anymore!
Thanks so much for this update

 

[going back]

We were at the poly concierge last october 2004. Hurricanes were over with and you could still see some of the damage esp at the GF, the lights that run the length of the buildings at night were one half lit up.
We requested unobstructed view of MK on third floor of Hawaii with adjoining rooms for my mom who uses a scooter. All requests were granted and the CM's were really accomodating.
The bell hop was a very tired looking and acting fellow who has worked there for years, he was telling his tale of having to work another four years now due to changes in Disney policy for retirement age.....felt bad for him and it was a bummer of a way to start our vacation!!!
We had perfect views from our balcony. My mom's balcony was full of crow bird poo however and you will notice that the crows come in the morning and leave at sunset. They need to ditch those birds!!! It was worse than the year before ( I did not even notice them the yr before ). I think the hurricanes may have been the reason for this??? It is a nice resort and we do like it, but I dev a wierd rash on my legs both times and the sand fleas are not worth it for me anymore. I am hoping for an improvement there at the BC or WL. Still not sure which.

 

[tinknsnow]

No offense but if you've been there ten times with no ill will don't you think one bad trip may just be the odds catching up to you?

It is totally legitimate to post a bad report. Everyone needs to know of things that each of us has gone through to see if, in fact, a pattern could be emerging. But to have one bad experience and hail the resort giving 'lower quality' service seems a bit melodramatic, IMO.

Agreed. What I didn't make clear enough in my post is that we *still* love the WL and I'm sure we'll go back in the future. It was just such a contrast with past trips (and especially, I think, with our cruise concierge experience) this time that we were disappointed. The rest of the resort (including the CMs at the pin stand, at WCC, at the gift shop, etc) were wonderful as usual.

Also, I don't think you'll catch much sympathy with the "we didn't get anything for free for my son's birthday" bit. It's great that you have in the past but to expect it shows just how high the bar has been set for Disney Resorts.

I hear you. But why not a "happy birthday," at least? We weren't expecting a party in the room... but she was so excited to be at WDW for her birthday and so were we. She never expected anything (she's four and what does she remember about prior trips' balloons/autographs/etc left in the room on a regular day) but yes, I admit, we did expect at least a "Happy birthday!".

My friends stayed there the week before us (at our rec, no less; it was their first-ever trip to WDW) and had a totally different experience. Their daughter got balloons, cookies, and an Ariel autograph on their first day returning from the parks. They were told where to get "free laundry" services. They had "Jack" who was off during our week. I do understand that it's the luck of the draw. I'm glad they had the trip we usually have, esp. since I recommended it!
But... if you're paying extra for some more personal attention and service and you get impersonal and/or cold CMs... it's going to be a disappointment.

But as I said, we'll surely end up there again on a future trip. That is, unless we are as wowed by the Poly as some people are. If that happens, we may never go back to the WL.

 

[jillhou]

WE, too, stay at the Poly Concierge most of our visits.

We were just there at Christmas and had a lovely stay.

When in the world did the Poly Concierge EVER have donuts and croissants? I am think they occasionally had fruit danish - but usually alot of cheese danish from my experience. We have been staying there for quite a few visits for the past 6 yrs or so and have never found those things in the morning - I think the coffee machine was WONDERFUL! MUCH better than the old fashioned coffee machines that just brew coffee. You can always do that in your room - since they provide a coffee maker. I was disappointed at the bottled water decision - but that is not just the Poly concierge according to my information - that is resort wide at the concierge lounges.

Chef Dick usually doesn't do the fruit carvings every evening. He usually does those every few days. We were there at Christmas and he had some time off and we were concerned because my kids love to watch him, too. They asked him and he told them he would do it before we left and then let us know what day he was planning on doing it.

The staff in the lounge and at the front desk were wonderful - concierge was full during Christmas and many regulars had some time off - but they still took care of us. In fact - although we are not staying there, Chef Dick has told my son to come by and say HI when we go down for his choir trip this Spring - we have to stay at the ALL STAR MUSIC - what a let down that is going to be!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not sure if we can stand it!

Take everything with a grain of salt people....we all have different views - I wouldn't let this report keep me from going.....remember - some of the complaints - like the no donuts - not sure they were EVER there.....not in my stays anyway!

 

[Lives4Disney]

We tried the Poly for the first time last August - LVC. I had read so many great things about it on the DIS that I was disappointed by the lack of service and the unknowledgeable staff. We also checked in at the bell podium and were told THEY DIDN"T HAVE TIME to drive us to Hawaii and give us a little tour in the golf cart!! I was pretty disgusted at that especially because they were (three men) just standing there chatting, but "they didn't have time" - That was just the start to a trip with crummy service and rude CMs.

YCFAN - I read your review of your poly stay last summer and my trip experience was almost exactly like yours.

A few things I liked are the things the OP says are no longer a part of the concierge experience.

I wouldn't stay there again. There are too many other great deluxe resorts out there to try.

Lives4Disney