Other than price, any negative experiences/comments about GF?

[Minnie824]

I am still trying to decide for 2006 if I want to stay at GF or Poly. I thought I had decided on Poly, but then I read some negative comments again. I know not everyone likes every place, but there seem to be more negatives for Poly reviews than GF. I don't know, just want to see if anyone was not happy at GF too, and if so why.

 

[OceanAnnie]

First, I just wanted to state, we had a wonderful stay. It was lovely.

The only thing that was a draw back was a moldy smell in the Gasparilla Grill. (They may have addressed it since we stayed there a couple of years ago.) It was pretty noticeable. We just ate outside near the boats. Had to fend off a few aggressive pigeons now and then, but it wasn't too bad. If you ignored them. My kids had a hard time doing that! But then it was a bonus to them.

It was minor in the scheme of things. We didn't use the Grill that often. The grounds were beautiful. The rooms attractive. People friendly. Loved the quiet pool. Having the monorail was heaven. And that's just a few of the things we loved. We're staying there again next time.

 

[CarolA]

I felt the service was sub par. The front desk staff doublecharged me and was unable to figure out how to correct it (check in took an hour and I was the only person in line).

Bell services were non-existent. You basically have to valet since self parking is WAY far away and I had to FORCE someone to take my keys and then the wait to get my car was very long.

Overall the staff was just not very interested in helping you, they seemed to think that you should be honored to be allowed to stay at their flagship resort.

I compared them to other top level hotels and they did not measure up!

 

[3lilprincesses]

i think you are going to get so many conflicting opinions when you ask a question like this. for instance, i couldn't agree LESS with the above post. we had such FABULOUS service! we had a rental car that DH needed to return when we checked in. they had someone follow him and drive him back to the hotel. we were taken to our room early and received a refrigerator promptly (this was before that was standard), everyone was so friendly. the room was always so clean. etc. i could literally go on and on about how great our stay was. we tell EVERYONE about how great the service was, and how everyone there went out of their way to make your stay great. but that was OUR experience. others have different experiences.

i have never stayed at Poly. would love to someday. i really can't imagine how you could go wrong at either resort. it really seems like some people take these things almost personally. i think you'll have a great time at either resort. have fun deciding!!

 

[Janet2k]

My family's last two years worth of GF vacations were wonderful. I can't say enough nice things about the resort and its staff. I have a few trip reports on the Dis' Trip Reports board that mention a few of those stays (just do a search on my name or send me a PM and I'll send you the links).

I haven't stayed at the Poly yet but have visited it many times for dinner in its restaurants and also the Luau (oh, I just love those male hula dancers legs -- yowsa!). I also visited it while my sister was a guest there (my family was staying at the BW at the time). I have the Poly resort on my list of places to stay in the near future. I know that when I finally stay there, I will enjoy it (I've stayed in 18 or 19 of the Disney resorts so far and haven't had a bad stay yet).

No matter where you choose to stay, I hope you have a wonderful vacation.

 

[tlbwriter]

My only complaint is that if you're not staying in the main building, you really don't get to experience all of the "goodies" - the fabulous Christmas decorations, the musicians, etc. Other than that, no complaints at all.

 

[rcraw45425]

We have stayed there twice and have had nothing but excellent service both times. The only WDW property we ever had issues with was the Poly and even that was nothing as major as some people I have read about. The location of both is great. I guess it depends on what type of theme you want. DH had expressed a desire to stay at the Poly so I booked it split stay with the WL for our October trip. He actually preferred the theming of the WL after staying at both. We all love the GF but it is rather pricy regardless of your budget. The proximity to the MK, however can't be beat. You are the first stop on the monorail going to the MK and if you take the resort lauch back you are the first stop going "home". We have stayed LV both times and had lovely rooms with excellent mousekeeping.

 

[momto2]

I felt the service was sub par. The front desk staff doublecharged me and was unable to figure out how to correct it (check in took an hour and I was the only person in line).

Bell services were non-existent. You basically have to valet since self parking is WAY far away and I had to FORCE someone to take my keys and then the wait to get my car was very long.

Overall the staff was just not very interested in helping you, they seemed to think that you should be honored to be allowed to stay at their flagship resort.

I compared them to other top level hotels and they did not measure up!

I have to agree with Carol. We stayed at GF on the pay for 4 nights/stay for 7 nights (sorry I can't remember what they called it). We were so excited because we thought we would NEVER be able to stay at the GF. I too thought the staff was just so-so. I got the impression if you were in one of the buildings and couldn't afford the main building you weren't as special to some.

But my biggest disappointment were the rooms. For the price they charge, I think the rooms were smaller than CR (which we love!). Plus the decor is nothing great. They do have a teriffic pool and the gardens are wonderful. We just had to walk forever to get to the monorail which felt like an even longer walk back at night to our room. To me it is very overrated. Just MHO.

 

[phyllis1966]

We love, love, love the GF and have not had any less-than-wonderful experiences there! Although we have always stayed in Conch Key, we felt just as "special" as everyone else there. We spend some time each day and evening in the main lobby in order to enjoy the Christmas decorations and the music (and sometimes dancing!).

 

[kalamazoo]

Here's a link to my small review of the GF from our trip last November. I know your post said you were looking for negative comments other than the expense, but really it does boil down to money in the end. If you pay a lot more you should expect a lot more and, while I think the GF is beautiful and I don't really have any big complaints about service, I don't think this resort is worth the extra expense - especially since you don't have to be a guest to go visit the lobby or go to the restaurants or join the kids' activities (i.e. pirate cruise). http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=691321

 

[disneybound05]

Minnie824: i just got back from the GF. i have posted a trip summary on the Trip Reports Board that you may want to read. this is our favorite resort and can't image staying anywhere else.

 

[TammiMcMan]

You could poll 100 people who have stayed at the GF or Poly and I'm willing to bet that the split would be close to 50/50 on those having good experiences versus those with negative comments. And for whatever reason, whenever you do think you've decided on a resort, up pops a bunch of bad reviews.

The GF is one of our favorite resorts and we've had mostly good experiences there. I choose it because personally, I love the theme. The Poly really doesn't appeal to me at all, but that's what makes a Disney vacation so great. All those choices and price ranges to fit your personality and your priorities for this particular vacation.

While it's nice to hear about everyones experience, the bottom line is that it's their experience. I'm not saying that negative remarks aren't appropriate, just that perhaps something that bothered someone else would not be a big deal to you, or a situation that rolled off our backs, might have bothered you more. My suggestion is to read up on the amenities offered by both resorts, search out pictures (some great ones on Allearsnet.com and Ourlaughingplace.com) and make your decision based on whats best for your family and this particular trip.

Tammi

 

[sotoalf]

But my biggest disappointment were the rooms. For the price they charge, I think the rooms were smaller than CR (which we love!). Plus the decor is nothing great. They do have a teriffic pool and the gardens are wonderful. We just had to walk forever to get to the monorail which felt like an even longer walk back at night to our room. To me it is very overrated. Just MHO.

Not to carp on the poster, but how on earth did the walk feel "forever"? When we stayed at Sago Cay, the farthest building, it was no more than a two minute walk to the main building! There's a slightly longer walk from the farthest garden room at the CR!