Just back from Poly--Mixed reviews

[Marty Joe]

Normally, I am a huge Poly fan. We have stayed there around 10 times and have had a great time each time. This time, however, was off right from the beginning. We had just spent a wonderful 3 days at Pop with a great pool view and close to the busses (which were very timely).

When we checked into the Poly, we had a lovely 2nd floor parking lot view. I never recovered from this. While I have never been a big Captain Cooks fan, I hate the new menu, and I really hate the computer ordering system. O'hana is normally my favorite, but not this time. The potatoes are gone - I loved them, and are now serving some kind of noodles - none of us touched them. The shrimp are now Bar-b-qued. You still have to peel them and are just so-so. The steak was dry and tough. The turkey was alright, though. We had to set next to the limbo/parade area, and that got old quick. The wait staff was non-existant. (Never made it to Kona due to a cold)

I started a post a couple of weeks ago about the poor bus service (which was, thankfully, closed down because of a racially motivated rant). Basically, I/we had to stand up on every bus no matter where or when because it was full by the time it got to the Poly.

One of the things I like best about staying at the Poly is watching the EWP and wishes from the beach. We scoped out a great viewing spot an hour before the parade, got some drinks from the tambu lounge, had my tripod and camera ready (new camera and pod just for this trip). The beach was pretty crowded and just before showtime, the Clampits from Bugtussle decided to go for a swim - in the lagoon - right in front of us. Someone from the Poly came and shooed them out of the lagoon, and when the staff member left, Jed and the gang from "Children of the Corn" went swimmimg again - in the lagoon - in front of us...

My wife and daughter wanted to go back to Pop Century after the second day and I tried to turn it around. Normally I'm a good turn-it-a-round'er but not this time. After we got home, we dotted the I's and crossed the T's financially and found out that we could have gone to Maui for the Poly rack rate. We will go back to the Poly again, but from now on, no AP or AAA discount - no Poly! I have nothig but good things to say about Pop...

Oddly, Mousekeeping was great and my DD got to DRIVE a sea racer for the first time.

 

[cdel73]

Thanks for the review!

 

[cogero]

thanks for this review. I have honestly never wanted to stay there I am more of a GF kind of girl. The theming. But was considering a romantic getaway may try to get GF or YC since we are trying BC this time around

 

[vicki_c]

To the previous poster -- so sorry about the Clampetts! Funny description, but I can't imagine it! We were there in January, so I guess no one felt the need to check out the lake while we were watching the shows!

I agree - you either love the Poly (I do) or you don't. It's my favorite - sometimes I think it's nostalgia because it's where I stayed on my first trip to the World when I was a kid, but I love it for more than that, too.

 

[PEANUT1]

ewww.....why does everyone just put up with the musty smell in the halls..? I would be very unhappy to pay a$400 a night and then be grossed out by that smell. It seems Disney should replace all of the carpets.

 

[vicki_c]

ewww.....why does everyone just put up with the musty smell in the halls..? I would be very unhappy to pay a$400 a night and then be grossed out by that smell. It seems Disney should replace all of the carpets.

I know others said they smelled something, but I never noticed. Someone else thought it was something they clean with, not musty. I have to say that the Poly always has more of that "Florida smell" (hard to describe, but you might know what I mean) - just a sort of damp tropical smell, not bad, and I mean even outside at the resort, not in the buildings. Maybe it's from all those tropical plants?? At least it's not the stinky Florida water (from the wells) like we had with our in-ground sprinklers when we lived there! Our whole family just calls that "stinky Florida water smell"!!

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

Just have to say I loved the use of your smilies in your post.

 

[BostonRob]

I liked the Poly, but I just dont like the "Hawaii-South Seas" theming...never have.

The Poly was nice, the GCH is really small with that big waterfall in the middle...I thought it was pretty, but everything was all kinda dark with the dark wood and all....(I know...it was supposed to be like that, but I just dont like the theming) So it just didnt float my boat! Im just a sucker for the style and the brightness of the GF!

I think this says it all. If you don't love the lobby with the waterfall, you don't love the poly. There's a resort for everybody and apparently the poly isn't for you. Personally I love the place and I make it a point to get there every time I'm at WDW even though I'm not staying at the Poly. The sights and sounds and smells of that waterfall - I guess they're just ingrained in my childhood memories of stays there, but I love it.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I know others said they smelled something, but I never noticed. Someone else thought it was something they clean with, not musty. I have to say that the Poly always has more of that "Florida smell" (hard to describe, but you might know what I mean) - just a sort of damp tropical smell, not bad, and I mean even outside at the resort, not in the buildings. Maybe it's from all those tropical plants??

My sentiments *exactly*! After living in Orlando for 5 years and visiting relatives in Florida, it's just that humid smell. I barely notice it--just enough to know I'm home at the Poly. If you're not used to it then yeah, folks might consider it to be 'funky'. I've smelled the same smell in the GF also...and the Contemporary...and at Pirates of the Caribbean...

At least it's not the stinky Florida water (from the wells) like we had with our in-ground sprinklers when we lived there! Our whole family just calls that "stinky Florida water smell"!!

We used to call it either 'rotten eggs' or 'fart water' smell.

 

[MeLaNie9]

We stayed at the Poly in May 2006 - Tahiti with MK view. The view was awesome and I loved the quiet of the resort and thought the tiki torches at night were a beautiful touch. The MK view was awesome, as our DS went to bed around 8pm and DH and I could sit on the balcony and watch Wishes and just relax while DS slept.
DH calls me the "super-sniffer" and I did not notice any bad smell then. If I had, I would not have been able to stay there! However, I agree that the check-in was lousy...not only did they have just two people checking folks in, but they were trainees with their helpers nearby!!! I think our check-in process took over an hour! And, the bus service was horrible. Believe me, we loved being able to take the monorail or boat, but I dreaded ever heading to the bus stop! The waits were so long and the buses so crowded! Overall, we really liked it, but you can see from my signature that we haven't been back...we just haven't found the place that we are most comfortable with at WDW yet, so we will keep trying different resorts until we find "the one".

 

[B-Ride]

I noticed some hallway funk when we were there in 2006! Nice to know my sniffer wasn't nuts, as DH claimed he couldn't smell anything....

Just because you can find one other person to agree with you still doesn't mean your sniffer isn't nuts. We didn't notice any smell when we stayed at the Poly. I must agree though that the Tonga Toast is overrated unless you need a real serious sugar fix.

 

[BostonRob]

Just because you can find one other person to agree with you still doesn't mean your sniffer isn't nuts. We didn't notice any smell when we stayed at the Poly. I must agree though that the Tonga Toast is overrated unless you need a real serious sugar fix.

Its definately overrated unless you have the palate of a four year old. Still, it is a unique breakfast food and how often do you find something uniquye for breakfast? I try to get tonga toast every time I go to WDW, but my teeth end up hating me for a few hours.

 

[Tink0625]

I too am a lover of the Polynesian. It could be that it was also the resort we stayed in on our first trip. Of course I don't have anything else to compare it to because we never stay anywhere else....I think if they would have given us a room with the view of the parking lot I would not have ever stayed there again. So sorry about the view. Maybe they should do something about that one!

 

[Joshua_me]

the GCH is really small with that big waterfall in the middle...I thought it was pretty, but everything was all kinda dark with the dark wood and all....(I know...it was supposed to be like that, but I just dont like the theming) So it just didnt float my boat! Im just a sucker for the style and the brightness of the GF!

I know what you mean.

I've been a big fan of The Poly most all of my life, but I swear the GCH looks just like it did in the late 70's when I was a little kid.

Rumor is the GCH is scheduled for a *major* rehab sometime soon, (which will be quite an undertaking, I'm sure) it surely could use it. I swear, those elevators look like they came over on The Mayflower !

Front desk check in has been notoriously slow for years, and mousekeeping is usually hit or miss, which IMO is unacceptable for a deluxe resort charging the prices it does...

Still, I have an undying affection for the place.

Even so, we're 'Dolphin people' these days.

 

[WeLubDeeDub]

While I have never been a big Captain Cooks fan, I hate the new menu, and I really hate the computer ordering system. O'hana is normally my favorite, but not this time. The potatoes are gone - I loved them, and are now serving some kind of noodles - none of us touched them. The shrimp are now Bar-b-qued. You still have to peel them and are just so-so. The steak was dry and tough. The turkey was alright, though. We had to set next to the limbo/parade area, and that got old quick. The wait staff was non-existant. (Never made it to Kona due to a cold)

We agree on the Capt. Cooks issue, that's for sure! My wife and I cursed that touchscreen ordering system just about everytime we were there. We tried every machine and each one needed multiple presses to get it to accept your selection. Ahhh...the good ol' days of actually talking to someone! We also weren't fond of the menu either. Seemed like such a limited selection. We actually missed the CBR food selections at one point.

On the flip side, our O'hana food was fantastic. The steak could have been better, but the turkey was amazing, as were the wings and pot stickers.

One of the things I like best about staying at the Poly is watching the EWP and wishes from the beach. We scoped out a great viewing spot an hour before the parade, got some drinks from the tambu lounge, had my tripod and camera ready (new camera and pod just for this trip). The beach was pretty crowded and just before showtime, the Clampits from Bugtussle decided to go for a swim - in the lagoon - right in front of us. Someone from the Poly came and shooed them out of the lagoon, and when the staff member left, Jed and the gang from "Children of the Corn" went swimmimg again - in the lagoon - in front of us...

I so know what you mean. I set up my camera, flash and tripod and in one of our shots, there's some people swimming in the lagoon!

However, we liked the theming and overall enjoyed the resort. I could definitely see us staying there again.

 

[johnsonet]

Normally, I am a huge Poly fan. We have stayed there around 10 times and have had a great time each time.

This time, however, was off right from the beginning..started a post a couple of weeks ago about the poor bus service (which was, thankfully, closed down because of a racially motivated rant)...

We scoped out a great viewing spot an hour before the parade, got some drinks from the tambu lounge, had my tripod and camera ready (new camera and pod just for this trip). The beach was pretty crowded and just before showtime, the Clampits from Bugtussle decided to go for a swim - in the lagoon - right in front of us. Someone from the Poly came and shooed them out of the lagoon, and when the staff member left, Jed and the gang from "Children of the Corn" went swimmimg again - in the lagoon - in front of us...

OK. Between JOKE Concierge Abuse posts, What have You Stolen from WDW? and this, Today is officially my MOST insane, hilarious day on the Dis

 

[BamaTigger]

OK Bama, so the big question, I've seen you've been to lots of resorts......what's you're favorite?

Hands down, the GF!!! With POR second...I know that resort is spread out as well, but it is special in my heart because in 95 thats where we stayed the
1st time we went to WDW.

But I absolutely LOVE the GF!!! My first stay was last year and I fell in love with the place!

 

[BamaTigger]

Just have to say I loved the use of your smilies in your post.

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Malela9]

My family is planning on going to the Poly in 4 weeks for 8 days. We go to Maui every year that we don't go to WDW. We have outgrown the WL, and if you can't go to Maui, go to the Poly.
The only thing I have to complain about at the Poly is the girl at the outside desk. She was soooo rude. Other than that, have you been to Hawaii on vacation? Hawaiians don't tell time, maybe the CM's are on Hawaiian time too! No resort is perfect, but the Poly had enough things I loved for me. I agree, if you don't love one resort- thank goodness there are lots of others!

 

[lisa3383]

Thank you for your well thought out review of the Poly. It's really helpful to read your review, especially when we've been debating about staying at the GF or Poly on our next trip! (We love Hawaii, in fact we go there much more often than WDW. Just not sure about a Disney Hawaii trip!).

I'm thinking if you go to HI often, the Poly is going to feel a bit forced! At least thats my feeling of it. We've been to both (HI and Poly) and Poly didn't really measure up. Even disney can't do Hawaii theme like Hawaii - And it doesn't hurt to try something new...like GF!!!!

Now about the GF - I love it (my favorite hotel)! In my personal experience the CMs have been the nicest there as compared to any other Disney hotel we've stayed at - very attentive to detail. The lobby is so comfortable that we've just wanted to hang out there (not so at any other Disney lobbies). There are some nice shops too! And every one of their restaurants is GREAT! The spa is wonderful and if you are lucky you can catch a glimpse of a horse (well white pony) drawn cinderella carriage with a bride inside!

To the OP- very helpful review! Thanks!