Just back from Poly...

[Rudi610]

We stayed on the 3rd floor in Rapa Nui during out stay this past August. The room was clean and we did not have any complaints. I guess it is just the pick of the draw. We enjoyed the Poly and would stay there again. We enjoyed Rapa Nui for its quietness and its proximity to the TTC.

 

[JenSop]

To the OP - you really should call and report your problems at Captain Cooks. That is just unacceptable! You can use as many snack credits as you want at a time! What the heck! Here on the DIS we know this, but what if it was someone else who didn't know anything about how the DDP works? What a shame. I'm all for giving people the benefit in case they had a bad day or something, but this goes beyond all that. The girl needs to be seriously reprimanded or let go.

 

[rie'smom]

We love the Polynesian and have stayed there quite a few times~ I agree that some of the longhouses are showing wear and are in need of aestethic maintainance. My suggestion if you really love everything else about the Poly enough to stay there is to NOT request one of the more popular buildings, such as Tokelau. Most of the buildings are in a well placed location. Our last stay was in Aotearoa and ended up loving it. The condition of the room was very good. More popular longhouses=more traffic=more wear and tear.

We stayed in Aotearoa a couple of years ago. When I was unpacking, I opened a drawer and found a bra that wasn't mine. Called housekeeping and they came and got it but yuck. I had internet problems too. The tech they sent was nice but it took a few hours to get to the room.

Oh and the CM at the front desk gave us the wrong directions to the room. We ended up on the opposite side of the resort. When I asked a couple of CMs walking around if they could help us, they shrugged their shoulders. Luckily there was a map legend or I might still be looking for the building.

We'd stay offsite before staying at the Poly.

To the OP - you really should call and report your problems at Captain Cooks. That is just unacceptable! You can use as many snack credits as you want at a time! What the heck! Here on the DIS we know this, but what if it was someone else who didn't know anything about how the DDP works? What a shame. I'm all for giving people the benefit in case they had a bad day or something, but this goes beyond all that. The girl needs to be seriously reprimanded or let go.

I agree that was totally unacceptable.

 

[mitchwebb]

We love the poly for many reasons, location, pool, restaurants and ambiance. We stayed in 2005 and found Fuji wonderful and clean stayed in 2008 and found Aotearoa worn and old. I really think it is a never ending cycle of refurbishment with all the wear and tear the resort gets. This being said we stayed at the Boardwalk both times and it will be our fisrt choice, if I can get one more trip out of DH. As much as I love the Poly the front desk was not willng to help with disappointed room, maybe they get to many people with high expectation that the poly just does not live up to. When it is good it is wonderful when it is not it is a huge disappointment. Again I think it is the money people are spending for the resort. At boardwalk we are spending about $50 a night less have a one bedroom with kitchen, landury and balcony. I can overlook a little more when my three kids are not sleeping on top of me in a single room.

As a side not we have found a great guy in Scotland we rent points from.

All said and done still love the look and feel of the poly!

 

[*Meagan*]

Im not a fan of the Poly. I thought I was alone on that one lol. I mean the room was nice and we enjoyed our stay but I can not figure out why people love it so much. Yes it was convenient and we had a good view but it cost me 400 DVC points and I definitely don't think it was worth the points plus the $100 fee. I guess I just have other fave resorts...

Thanks for sharing your story! Sorry for the rude cm you dealt with!

 

[vicki_c]

Im not a fan of the Poly. I thought I was alone on that one lol. I mean the room was nice and we enjoyed our stay but I can not figure out why people love it so much. Yes it was convenient and we had a good view but it cost me 400 DVC points and I definitely don't think it was worth the points plus the $100 fee. I guess I just have other fave resorts...

Thanks for sharing your story! Sorry for the rude cm you dealt with!

Just to say - using your points at any non-DVC resort on property is just a BAD use of points in almost all cases, esp. with the $95 fee you have to pay on top of the points. Good for someone who has a bunch of points that are going to expire anyway, and you might have been in that situation, but otherwise not a good deal at all. DVC members would be better to rent your points and use that cash to pay for the room (and hopefully then get a discount which you can't do with points).

All said, I love the Poly and our last 2 trips there were fantastic, including our rooms. We did stay in Hawaii on both of our last trips though. Poly gets more scrutiny I believe because the price is so high, but I think you can see the same complaints about every resort. It just hurts more to get a bad room when you're paying so much, but luckily I haven't had that experience.

The Captain Cook's thing though, as I said earlier, is way out of line.

 

[chimo2u]

Reviews like this one is what made me feel slightly uncomfortable about keeping my reservation at the POLY. I am very happy that I decided to go back to the BC for our resort for our upcoming FEB trip. I could just see me being the one stuck with room issues that would probably bother me....paying as much as we would to stay at the POLY, I would expect a very high standard of cleanliness, and I would not want to be dissapointed by a room that is outdated or in poor shape. I know that every review can't be perfect, but sadly, the majority of the POLY reviews coming back recently have been less than comforting! This is from people who are true POLY lovers, too....sad, as it is a beautiful themed resort with a fantastic location!
Thank you for your honest review, it was a big help in my own decision making! Lastly, I agree with the others who stated that the Manager's treatment at CC's was completely unacceptable and she definitely needs to be put in her place!!!! I hope you follow that up higher

 

[DemoBri1]

My mom and I got back from the Poly (stayed 10/1-10/4), we were in Tahiti 1036. Awesome theme park view, walk on the beach, and very clean. No nicks, no peeling paint, no grout issues, or anything else that have been mentioned here, so if you're looking for a nice building, you might try Tahiti!

With our room, it was actually closer to walk to TTC to get to MK or Epcot than to walk to the Ceremonial House; we drove everywhere else. A little stretch got us to the quiet pool...

We did run into issues at Captain Cooks (mainly cleanliness- tables not being wiped down even though CMs were standing around, etc.; and one of the three touch screens decided to scramble making things interesting), and had an issue with Bell Services missing some packages that we mailed.

We loved being on the water, and the trees, but with Mom's fatigue after chemo, we need something a bit more compact. We were going to stay at POFQ next year, but OH NO, we got a PIN special, so now we're off to WL!

You won't be disappointed in WL. We've stayed there on our last 3 trips down and had wonderful courtyard views. Rooms were always clean. It can be a bit of a walk to some of the rooms, but the resort itself is nice and secluded.

Glad to hear about your stay in Tahiti as we have a MK View scheduled in just under 3 weeks. Keeping my fingers crossed

 

[DemoBri1]

Im not a fan of the Poly. I thought I was alone on that one lol. I mean the room was nice and we enjoyed our stay but I can not figure out why people love it so much. Yes it was convenient and we had a good view but it cost me 400 DVC points and I definitely don't think it was worth the points plus the $100 fee. I guess I just have other fave resorts...

Thanks for sharing your story! Sorry for the rude cm you dealt with!

Meagan. Whatever you do never again should you use your DVC points to rent a regular room. You just lose too much value. If you want to stay at a non-DVC go cash ressie and look for the deals.

 

[jerseygirl18]

Wow...this is why I love these boards. So many different views!

I've re-read my post and I just want to reiterate that we really did have a great vacation (our first at WDW). Thank goodness we had awesome experiences in the parks and at some wonderful restaurants or I may not be saying the same thing.

Now, was the room what I had come to expect of the Poly? Absolutely not. But I read the reviews before going and I knew there was a possibility. So worn rooms, I was expecting. Dirty and unmaintained rooms I was not. My problems were from a lack of maintence so someone in management at the Poly clearly needs to step it up and get the staff under control. We weren't the most comfortable in our room but the overall feel of the resort itself was amazing and I don't think anyone here can deny that. If you've never been to the Poly and you either are booked or are thinking about booking, I would just encourage you to be realistic with your expectations after reading the many reviews. Walking the grounds of the Poly, especially at night with the glow of the tiki torches...strolling on the beach and stopping to sway in a hammock, surrounded by the lushest, greenest folliage...it was incredible. But not so much that I would return again. In fact, I am just off the phone with reservations and just booked the WL on a bounce back offer. (Thanks to those who recommended!)

I'm in the process of writing a letter to Customer Relations and I'm going to copy the Poly management regarding the state of our two rooms and the horrible customer service received at Capt. Cooks. My letter basically says that they are the Walt Disney Company and have built a reputation that is unsurpassable. Because of this, we come fully expecting an experience unlike any other and we want to hold them to a higher standard. When our expectations aren't met, we feel cheated. And I do, I feel cheated.

Anyway, thank you to all who encouraged me to speak up. It's a lesson I need to learn in life, in general. I need to stop being such a pushover and stop letting so much go! I will just do it politely. LOL

 

[flicx]

We love the poly, it has been ten years since we were there and never had any real room issues.However at the prices they are charging now the rooms should be spectacular.I would love to stay again but unless they drastically reduce the price no way!I really become discouraged after reading alot of this too!

 

[walkdmc]

We stayed in the Tahiti building last year. (at least I think that's the name of it). We had a castle view. The room was dingy, with dirty sealant around the base of the toilet - dirty with what? The bathroom, even after a cleaning from housekeeping smelled pretty strong of urine. The toilet was crooked, no kidding we slanted to the left when we sat on it. I found left behind clothes in a dresser drawer and the lightbulb on the desk was burned out. And, anyone who has stayed at the Poly knows how precious those light bulbs are. The room just smelled old and musty. I didn't like it and also encountered a rude CM at Captain Cooks. It was a cratchety old dude. I lined up on the wrong side at the check out. When he got to me, he told me I was on the wrong side and pointed to the opposite side. I went to the right side and waited behind the only other person in line. Well, it was my turn and what does cratchety old dude do? He waits on someone who just approached the line on the "wrong" side, the same line he told me was "wrong". I was ticked but didn't say anything, he seemed miserable.

Then, we did laundry. It was a long trek to the laundry facilities from our room. The change machine was empty. Another guest said to me, "Is that thing still empty? I told them at the front desk it was empty an hour ago". So, in the rain, walked to the front desk, asked for change and explained that the change machine in the laundry room is still empty. Did wash, went back to use dryer, guest in there trying to get change and guess what? Change machine is empty. At that point it had been over 2 hours since they were first notified of empty machine. It was very annoying as it's already a trek, taking time away from vacation and to have to walk to the front desk, in the rain, when they've known about the problem for 2 hours is ridiculous. FTLOG, get in a golf cart and throw some quarters in the thing!!!!! Lazy. period.

Unfortunately, my DS loved the Poly so I think someday we'll go back. The badness is just too fresh right now (and it's a year later).

 

[hill6]

I personally would have called and asked for a different room or for a new cleaning of that room.

 

[ols386]

I stayed at the Poly in December of last year, and had a room in Tahiti. I absolutely loved staying at the Poly. My room could not have been nicer, but I have read reviews about rooms that were not so great, and there really is no excuse for it. The Poly is a deluxe resort, and guests are paying for deluxe accommodations and service, and that's what they should receive.

Absolutely no excuse at all for the behavior of the manager of Captain Cooks. I would definitely report the op's incident with the manager to upper management (whoever that might be).

I personally wouldn't hesitate to stay at the Poly again, but I can sure understand why the op would not want to stay there again.

Hope you have better luck on your next visit, op.

 

[maciemouse]

We stayed club level/castle view this past August. The only reason we spent the money to stay in Hawaii building is because of a discount we recieved. The first night we arrived we stayed at GF b/c we decided to go a day earlier and Poly had no openings. WE were not super excited about GF b/c we thought it would be to stuffy. We get there and we were upgraded to club level. Loved it. Next day check into the Poly. We usually stay here every year ! We get to our room and I was so disappointed. There were smudges all over the sliding glass door. Hand prints all over the back of the door. Paint peeling in bathroom. A huge hole in the carpet. Worst of all, we were right next to the lounge on the second floor. We could hear everytime the door opened. We tried to move but Poly was booked solid. We never thought we would say it but we wished we were at the GF. We really felt comfortable there and room was is TIP TOP shape. I did write a letter to disney and they did call me back to get feedback. We too our going to give Poly a break for a while. I do love the grounds and beach but the shape of the rooms are not worth a $400. price tag.

 

[larryz]

... a manager who was standing next to my cashier and snapped, literally snapped, "you CANNOT use all your credits at once" and then yelled at the cashier who started to process my order. I was taken aback by her attitude and I apologized and said that I was told that I could last night. She very rudely stated that no one can use more than one snack credit at once (which I knew was untrue at that point).

At that point, I would have just handed one RCT to the cashier and said, "Ring it up. I'll be using one snack credit. How many snack credits do I have left?"

Hand her number two. Tell her, "Ring it up. I'll be using one snack credit..."

Repeat until snack credits depleted. And for good measure, I'd be counting the people in line behind me out loud between each one as well.

 

[larryz]

Now I'm not necessarily promoting lying to those of you without a DD or DS with medical/allergy issues; however, theoretically, how would they ever really know?

You're not? Really??

 

[rie'smom]

At that point, I would have just handed one RCT to the cashier and said, "Ring it up. I'll be using one snack credit. How many snack credits do I have left?"

Hand her number two. Tell her, "Ring it up. I'll be using one snack credit..."

Repeat until snack credits depleted. And for good measure, I'd be counting the people in line behind me out loud between each one as well.

The cashier would have exploded like a volcano!

 

[gypsymama]

Oh shoot no I would've been furious, If I pay that much to stay at a resort I would expect a heck of alot more! We had issues the one time we tried to stay at a Value Resort, the room was filthy, toilet dirty, blood on the wall I mean horrible! I called and complained they switched us that night to Saratoga Springs. I was just wanting a clean room but felt so blessed to be upgraded to that resort. Anyway, I would have been so upset if i would've had your experience at the Poly. We have stayed at the campground, Port Orleans, Caribbean Resort, next will be the Coronodo Springs in December. I have never had any problems at the moderate resorts, they have been very clean and nice, my husband was just talking to me the other day about our next trip upgrading to the Poly i am so glad we didn't!
As for that manager i would definitely complain that its just crazy!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We were at Captain Cooks the night check out getting a late night Dole Whip and a mug refill and we noticed the rice krispy mickeys and I thought they'd make great souvenirs so I grabbed 4 from the overflowing basket. I told her what I was doing and when she gave me my receipt and saw I had over a dozen snacks left, she encouraged me to come back just prior to leaving to wipe out my balance and to take souvenirs home. I thanked her and made a mental note to stop back.

When I returned the next day, however, and tried to get 8 of the treats to use all of my credits, a manager who was standing next to my cashier and snapped, literally snapped, "you CANNOT use all your credits at once" and then yelled at the cashier who started to process my order. I was taken aback by her attitude and I apologized and said that I was told that I could last night. She very rudely stated that no one can use more than one snack credit at once (which I knew was untrue at that point). So I put 3 back and asked to just take the 5 and she shook her head no and again said (with an attitude) that I could only buy one. I asked her why that was and her response again was that I could only use one at a time. I took out the rest of my families KTTK cards and said that I was taking one for each member of my party, that they were in the lobby waiting for our ME bus to return us to the airport. At that point I got angry and decided that since I hadn't had this problem from anyone else, anywhere else during our stay I was going to push the issue. I stepped aside and let the line behind me move ahead and asked her again why I couldn't use the balance of my snacks. Her reason changed from the one snack at a time to the fact she can't let me take so much of the stock, it needs to be saved for other customers. I looked at the basket of 30+ treats and stated that me taking 5 or taking 8 isn't going to exhaust her supply. Before she could reply, I also added that the treats are there so that we could buy them...I PAID for my deluxe dining plan and whether I have cash in my hand or I'm using dining credits, I should be treated the same way. I asked if she was really going to turn me away from buying EIGHT treats. She told me she was!! She told me I could go the GF's quick service stop (I forgot the name she told me) and buy my remaining 3 if it meant that much to me! I told her I was fifteen minutes away from my ME pick up time and I didn't have time. She told me that she couldn't help and she walked away. I was SHOCKED. The cashier overhearing all of this apologized to me and told me to send in another member of my party to buy the remaining three so that's what I did. I ran to the lobby and sent my DH who went in and got them. We just made our ME pick up and it sent me to the airport FUMING. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her name or I may have called and complained. She was a younger girl with long black hair...anyone that may recall her name, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Anyone else ever have an issue like this regarding snack credits?

Wow I can't believe that actually happened to you and I am sorry you had to go through that.