Just back from Poly...

[swald91]

jerseygirl18-
Haven't read all the way through, but I agree with you somewhat and you too lilybrooke14...we do pay ALOT of money to stay there and to have a few things go wrong it's frustrating. We LOVE the Poly and have stayed there many times. One of our stays was at CL and we had SO many things wrong-bathroom door handle didn't shut right, shower head broke, clock radio light had no plug, lights not working...and as some have said, you can overlook some things but when they seem to pile up it makes you mad. Some people have such strong opinions that it doesn't matter that it may just be YOUR experience. As much as those things in the room made us mad-I still love the Poly and enjoy staying there...sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy it as much as you expected. Again, I have said before that the Poly has so many high expectations that we do get a little let down when you go in and your room is either dirty or things just aren't working...

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to say this whole thread has me conflicted. I have stayed at the Poly before, about 5 years ago, and had a very good time. I am trying to decide where to stay fall 2011 and the Poly is (was?) in the running. But now I am totally confused.

Do I trust my own good memories, or is it possible that things have gone to pot over the last few years? I do know how one bad experience can sour you on a resort. That happened to me during my last stay at POR.

Oh well, at least I have almost a year before I have to be 100% certain of where I want to stay.

 

[Mr Nice Guy]

Your post comes accross as pretty condescending. Low post count or not, Princesspeach's opinion is just as important as yours.

As long as you remember that if you had a good experience that makes you a disney apologist, everything will be fine.

Oh, and if you have a low post count, keep your opinions to yourself. They really are not valid.

Bottom line is not everyone has the same experience. Some good and some bad, but people mostly post about the bad. Ultimately it will be whatever you experience that counts, not what someone posted on a message board.

Now lets get back to the task at hand.

This thread --->

 

[BabyRN]

Well fact of the matter is, everyone's opinions are just as important as others, and also people have different experiences than others. I'm sure 99% of these people are not coming onto these boards just to slam the Poly, but just to share and vent about what happened to them. Bet your bottom dollar if I spent that much to stay there and had those issues that I would vent too! As would anyone on here! You would just think that by spending literally thousands of dollars at a deluxe resort that it would at least be clean, and with that being said, with the number of people staying there and paying that much you would think that Disney would at least keep the rooms up!

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I want to say this whole thread has me conflicted. I have stayed at the Poly before, about 5 years ago, and had a very good time. I am trying to decide where to stay fall 2011 and the Poly is (was?) in the running. But now I am totally confused.

Do I trust my own good memories, or is it possible that things have gone to pot over the last few years? I do know how one bad experience can sour you on a resort. That happened to me during my last stay at POR.

Oh well, at least I have almost a year before I have to be 100% certain of where I want to stay.

I am with you.

My conclusions after reading many, many (did I mention many?) posts and threads on the Poly: there is a consistent complaint that the hotel is basically old with all this implies (whether it is peeling paint, mold, mustiness whatever). And it is...it was built in the early 70s right? So that really isn't a knock, it is just a fact.

there is no way around that...there are lots of opinions some GREAT, some HORRIBLE and some in between, but that thought comes through enough times for me to conclude it has some merit (even Poly lovers admit at times it is a little threadbare). the flipside is it has great location (for some, see below), and and a flat out awesome theme (to me the #1 draw) and the rooms are physically among the largest in WDW and the pool is cool (also a big + in my book)

Re: Location..for ME (and only me, relax Poly lovers!) it isn't a big draw because I am not a big monorail fan (they break down too often for me) nor do I spend most of time at MK (I like the Epcot area). But watching fireworks form the beach is very, very cool.

Re: the rooms - I am just not there that much for me to care. We get 2 rooms at any resort anyway so there always feels like we enough enough room because the connecting door is always open.

So that leaves theme and and pool vs the "oldness". I have decided I am not willing to risk loving the theme and pool which I know I will (and in part enjoying the location and rooms though to a lesser extent as explained above) and risk being unhappy with the "oldness" factors because it is a difference of $400 per night for my vacation as compared to a moderate.

Bottom line: if it were cheaper, I would stay there.

Hope this is helpful, it helped me typing it out!

 

[blondemom]

We have stayed at the Polynesian 3 times. We enjoyed the first two visits, and the third was "okay." We love the theming, the fireworks on the beach, the pool, the gardens, the transportation. When we checked in, we were not welcomed with leis, our anniversary was not acknowledged (except for having anniversary pins thrown into our welcome packet), and I didn't feel like anyone was truly happy to see me (as I have seen in Wilderness Lodge, Pop Century, and All Stars). I just assumed that it was August, it was hot, it was busy. And, we all have off days. We were not thrilled with the cleanliness of our room (Samoa building). We had crumbs and pieces of tissue on the floor upon check-in. However, we called to have the room cleaned (after wondering if we walked into an occupied room). Our bathroom was very dirty with a cracked toilet seat (which they were unable to fix at the time). There were cigarette ashes all over the balcony (again, this was cleaned when we returned). We could have moved, but they couldn't guarantee a room until late that evening. We stashed our lugged in the lobby and waited. I honestly think they gave us the room before it had been cleaned. There was just way too much going on.

But, we enjoyed our stay there thoroughly after all the kinks were worked out. We enjoy the restaurants there. We loved the pool. My kids had such a blast it was worth the initial disappointment.

That being said, we are now DVC members. I don't think I will be returning to the Polynesian because it never was my "true love." I love the Wilderness Lodge. My kids completely fell for Pop Century (which cracks me up because we considered ourselves deluxe people). However, there is nothing like the feeling you get when you walk around the Pop Century or All Star Resorts. I love the theming and the excitement. For the $90 a night we spent last summer at the Pop Century (we checked into the Pop the night before the Polynesian because we drove from New Jersey and wanted to stay somewhere inexpensive since we were getting there later in the day), we were blown away with the way we were treated. They were absolutely wonderful to us. They walked us to our room. They gave the kids a box of cookies while they waited. It was wonderful.

Everyone has their favorite resort. Each one has its positives and negatives. One person has a great experience, the other has a horrible one. I am the type to judge for myself!!

 

[cpbjgc]

Your post comes accross as pretty condescending. Low post count or not, Princesspeach's opinion is just as important as yours.

I actually agree with Princesspeach - Her experiences count! Not only is it as important as mine, it is as important as anyone posting here. I was pointing out that there is sometimes a misconception that a low post count or having a positive experience when others have had a negative experience makes you opinion irrelevant. It doesn't.

I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences at WDW. All of my negative experiences have been interactions with other guests (go figure ). Are my perceptions clouded by pixie dust? Nope.

We plan on staying at the Poly on our next trip. I am checking this thread to see experiences others have had, negative and positive. Regardless of how many opinions there are, positive and negative, we are still staying at the Poly so we can experience it ourselves. Others experiences will help me in planning, but will not stop me from staying there myself and forming my own opinions based on my experience.

So people should feel free to express their opinions, just don't think that others need to share your opinion or will have the same experience as you - when people have those expectations, these threads quickly enter a downward spiral.

 

[jerseygirl18]

jerseygirl18-
Haven't read all the way through, but I agree with you somewhat and you too lilybrooke14...we do pay ALOT of money to stay there and to have a few things go wrong it's frustrating. We LOVE the Poly and have stayed there many times. One of our stays was at CL and we had SO many things wrong-bathroom door handle didn't shut right, shower head broke, clock radio light had no plug, lights not working...and as some have said, you can overlook some things but when they seem to pile up it makes you mad. Some people have such strong opinions that it doesn't matter that it may just be YOUR experience. As much as those things in the room made us mad-I still love the Poly and enjoy staying there...sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy it as much as you expected. Again, I have said before that the Poly has so many high expectations that we do get a little let down when you go in and your room is either dirty or things just aren't working...

THANK YOU for your reply and for getting that sometimes people do have bad experiences. I am looking forward to trying different resorts and finding the right one for us.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

OP - That experience with your snack credits was so wrong. And to have that happen as your last experience at the Poly and WDW must have really been upsetting. I certainly hope they acknowledge your letter. As for the Poly report, it is always good to get honest feedback on resorts. Yes, everyone has different opinions and experiences, but it's always good to know that it isn't 'perfect'. Too many people go to Disney with these expectations that just don't get met and they are so devastated. These honest reviews let people know that WDW isn't perfect.

I personally stayed at the Poly a couple of weeks ago (my 3rd visit to the Poly) and stayed in Tokelau room 1943. The end door was stuck during our week there and I reported it several times. It didn't bother me, even being in the end room but I did feel bad for the maintenance guy! We also had peeling paint on the top back of our bathroom door where shower steam certainly will peel paint. It is inevitable but it didn't bother me in the least (but that's me). As for mousekeeping, it was so-so. But I've stayed at numerous resorts at WDW and have found several of these same issues. And I had a horrific experience at BC where there was broken glass on the floor and they let a strange man have a key to my room and he walked in while I was not dressed Anyway, I actually would go back!

Why??? Well all of you that are second guessing the Poly or any other resort - don't! Take everything with a grain of salt. You might have a different experience or a different opinion. And frankly, I pick my hotel by location, theme, amenities, and lastly...the room. I'm only there to change and sleep. I'm at WDW to enjoy the activities, not to sit in my room. If you want someplace that is a perfect spot to stay in a hotel room for 24 hours a day, you will not get it at WDW. That is not the intention of the resorts. You will encounter children that laugh with glee in the hallways, families that talk loudly in the next room, people coming back from a late EMH night that sound like they are stomping above you, and a well-used room because families of 4 or 5 have stayed in that same room as you without one night's break for years.

I don't condone rooms that aren't clean with amenities that don't work, and the OP has a valid complaint. I just don't want everyone second guessing their stays - they just need to understand the full picture and not the glossy one in the WDW brochure